i made a group chat today with all of my friends from the UK that went to espr with me in august 2024, and in the midst of planning for dinner next weekend, it all just felt so surreal. it felt so achingly joyous, so melancholically jubilant-- it felt, all at once, like nostalgia and new beginnings. i've not seen most of these people in 17 months. and yet, for a brief moment in time-- 10 days in august, two years ago-- they were family.

sarah dessen wrote, "home is... not a place but a moment, and then another, building on each other like bricks to create a solid shelter that you take with you for your entire life, wherever you may go."

espr was a moment that felt more like home than any other. i carried more bricks from those ten days than from any other experience, and created a shelter worlds more beautiful than i had lived in before.

right now, thinking about seeing my chosen family again, it feels, above all, like coming home.