The Calling Homeward

I feel incredibly fortunate to call Embercombe home. It's not just a place to live; it's a place to belong. As an immigrant, the concept of "home" has always been a significant theme in my life. I've constantly sought a sense of home away from home, and my journey led me to explore this notion in various places.

Sylhet Bangladesh

It was during one of these journeys, while I was on a placement in Bangladesh, that I first heard about Embercombe—a place where humans and nature came together in harmony. I was told that I had to visit, and the moment I entered through the gates of Embercombe, I felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity.

At Embercombe, I came to the realisation that as humans, we are an integral part of a larger family—the family of life on Earth. This family was calling out to me, but I had been searching in the wrong places. They were saying, "Come home, come home again," and I was excited but also confused. What did they mean by "again"? Had I ever been there before?

Then I remembered. Yes, I had been there before, in the village of my childhood in western Turkey. Our village was nestled among mountains, where we used to pick tomatoes from the vine and savor them as a snack. A clear water spring flowed next to our village. I felt safe and free there; that's where I came from, and it's where we all come from—the mountains, rivers, lakes, plains, and soil. I had forgotten, but I started to remember.

My little village in western Turkey

Then they said, "The circle is broken without you." This concept took time to internalize because I, like many, saw our kind as destroyers and greedy takers. I thought, "Look, don't you see we've destroyed our planet? Wouldn't she be better off without us?" But in Robin Wall Kimmerer's book, "Braiding Sweetgrass," she talks about the Three Sisters—corn, bean, and squash—and how they help each other grow and support each other. She also adds the fourth sister—the one who waters, weeds, harvests, and cares—the human sister.

 

That's how I found home. I discovered a sense of belonging and a commitment to being a good sister to corn, squash, and bean. I'm sharing this with you because I want to communicate that at Embercombe, we strive to bring people into closer connection with themselves, each other, and nature, in harmony with Mother Earth.