My family and I recently came back from a wonderful vacation in our former country. The Philippines was the only home known to me before migrating here almost five years ago.

Back then, you could liken me to a grown tree uprooted from its native soil and replanted in a new land.

That is why when we went back to the Philippines a couple of months ago. I felt so excited: I was going home.

It was fun and we were happy being there with family and friends, but soon after I came to realize that things could never be quite the same again. We try to relive the past as if time hadn’t changed anything, but sadly it had. There was only the past that we could truly share. The present and the future are no longer there to bind us. Now we are just visitors. Although we had a great time, we all knew it wouldn’t last long. We had to go back home.

Home for us now is here in Winnipeg. It is here where we are trying to build our roots, nurture them, and see them grow. It is our present and our future. And in the end, it will be part of our past.

Our current home is far from utopic, but it is where our hearts are. It is a place where I can remain sane despite the constant things that needed my attention. My wife works a regular day job — fortunately for her — so I fill in the nanny duties for our two young kids during the day.

And what follows kids all around the house? Chaos. It is a proven fact. I can attest to that. I have to clean up after their mess following the ruckus they make after their usual burst of energy. There is a constant supply of dirty dishes that greet me every time I walk into the kitchen.

I am not complaining, I am just stating the obvious. As they say "Show me a clean house and I’ll show you a house without kids."

Don’t get me wrong I love my kids and I wouldn’t change my life for anything in this world. I could accept a little change, like maybe being able to afford someone to help with the chores. But for now, when I am not busy cleaning up, I am occupied with establishing our new home.

My wife and I often talk about our dreams and plans for the future: picturing ourselves retired and still having the time of our lives; hearing her laughter when I crack some corny joke; or when I cross that invisible line that divides good from bad.

Meanwhile, as we create our home we try to see beyond the material aspect of life. It is doubly hard because we see a lot of stuff all around us that we want. It’s difficult not being able to acquire most of the things your heart desires.

I know a lot of people who have fancy cars, the latest tech gadgets and a big house but can’t afford to enjoy them because they have to work all the time to pay their bills. I am not saying it’s wrong because that is the way they want it to be. We just want to raise our family here a little bit different from that.

For now I’m happy to be able to say "I am home."

Allan Balingit is a Winnipeg-based writer.

Neighbourhood Forum is a readers’ column. If you live in The Metro area and would like to contribute to this column, contact jim.timlick@canstarnews.com.