Home is simply defined by Merriam-Webster as “the place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family or household.”

Everyone has a different view on home. For some, it is a place to go back to every night with a family. Unfortunately, many people do not have a home. For others, they have many places that they consider home. 

For senior Eugene Calderon, he sees home as a mixture of Italy, Mexico City, and a small Wisconsin town called Neenah. Calderon’s long journey started in Mexico City where he lived for 14 bright years as a fun-loving young boy. He excelled in school and acquired many personal relationships with friends. 

After 14 fun years in Mexico City, his world flipped upside down when his parents told him that the family was leaving for the United States. Calderon packed his bags, said goodbye to his close friends, and hopped on a plane to a small town called Neenah, Wis. This city he has never heard of has less than 26,000 people. 

Moving to Neenah, Calderon was nervous at first, but then he met people, gained new friendships, and immersed himself in swimming for the first time. Calderon gradually began to love and find appreciation for his new city that he would consider home for the near future. 

During his sophomore year at NHS Calderon was informed of a student exchange program and the opportunity to study abroad in Italy. Italy has always attracted him because of the vast history and gorgeous scenery. 

After being immersed in two different cultures — Mexico City and Neenah —  he immediately knew he wanted to give it a try. Once he knew he was accepted to study abroad, he was as excited as a kid in a candy store; however, his home is going to change once again and Calderon has a tough time adjusting. 

Calderon added that he prepared himself by taking Italian, practicing so he could be successful in school, as well as day to day life. He expressed that he picked up on Italian quickly because it is similar to his natural language of Spanish. 

In late August, he hopped on a 747 jet engine headed 4,492 miles to Brescia, Italy. Based on a blog post from Life in Italy, Brescia is a city located on the foot of the alps near Lombardy, Italy. Calderon now called this place home for the next nine months, but it felt like a week on vacation. Soon after he got settled into his new home, he began to go to school Monday through Saturday. He said that this was an adjustment that took some time.

Once school started, he began to take a closer look at culture. Calderon visited a street fair called “the carnivale.” His eyes lit up in the room while talking about the infamous “carnivale.” He noted the giant parade and floats were a great time, as well as wearing masks in the parade. The parade included bold, elegant colors everywhere that could possibly be seen. Giant golden floats, bold costumes, and bright lights lit up the streets of Italy. 

He began to realize just how different day to day culture really is. Calderon said that people in Italy certainly care about how they look. Appearance and style are significant in Italy. 

He also noted that people are into hugging, and showing affection. People hug other people even if they really do not know them; however this did not bother Calderon because he was used to the touchy culture from his early years in Mexico. 

“A hug is like a handshake, and every culture makes people unique.”

Through all of the uneasiness and excitement of being in a new country, Calderon possessed one goal. He wanted to enrich himself and grow as an individual through engaging in immersive relationships and indulging in the culture. Through this goal, he now understands true self confidence and truly found acceptance in himself. This alone made this experience worth it for him in finding his home. 

Living throughout the world, Calderon hopes he can instil his love for culture in others, and help people enrich themselves just as he did himself. 

Now back home in Neenah, Calderon feels more comfortable back in his Wisconsin home for the second time. While most Wisconsin high school students see home as a place to go home and sleep at night, Calderon understands home as wherever makes people feel most comfortable. This can be numerous of places around the world, but comfort and happiness is his definition of home.