Big, small, or old—the size and age of a home doesn’t matter. The meaning of “home” is broader. When you hear the sound of laughter from the heart, when you eat simple but delicious food, when you feel safe in your house with your family—this is home. Home is the place we keep secrets, and where we rest and feel warm. This was my definition of home for the 20 years I lived in my dad’s house. Now, I live in a different house, with a husband and four kids, and I am trying to maintain the same feeling of home. Honesty is our roof, respect forms our walls, and love provides the floor. If we gave up these values, our home would collapse.

>

>

Seham Mohamed was born and raised in Egypt. Her native language is Arabic. She immigrated to the United States in 2005 and now lives in Brooklyn, where she works as a Quran teacher and enjoys reading, sports, and teaching Arabic to kids in her community on weekends. She studies at the Arab American Association of New York. Anne Townsend is her teacher, and Mary Hetteix is the adult education program coordinator.