Is this what home means?

"Within minutes, before their eyes Ashoke and Ashima slip into bolder, less complicated versions of themselves, their voices louder, their smiles wider, revealing a confidence Gogol and Sonia never see on Pemberton Road." - The Namesake, Jhumpa Lahiri 

I read this book way back in India when I did not have an inkling that I will one day be living in the US. And still, this line stuck with me for some reason .



 It describes how Ashoke and Ashima looked so much at ease when they visit India and how different they were from their own selves in the US. This book is set in the 70's when the world was yet to become truly global and the distance between countries were little too obvious with phone calls to India only once or twice in a month.

We live in a time where we are all global citizens and there's not much of a difference between the country I grew up in and the country I live in. But, I do see the difference between the person I am here and the person I am when I visit India. Not in terms of my personality, but more in the way I dress. I feel like I am more comfortable in what I wear in India because my style is more boho/ethnic. I experiment more with what I wear in India and uninhibited by any new trends. I am more my own person and stay an individual. My kajal is a bit more prominent and my skin glows just a little more. It's almost like my body knows I am home. Whereas in the US, I am a lot more cautious about looking too ethnic or afraid of standing out. The other day, I was having this conversation with a friend of mine here and she felt the same too.

Do you feel a change in your style when you are in India and when you are here?