Home vs. the Homeland

My grandmother recently returned from a 3 week trip to San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico to visit her remaining family on the island. For my grandmother, this trip has been yearly, and--to her--can't come soon enough. While she acts as my family's babysitter when it comes to the multiple cousins I have under the age of 12, and she enjoys it since it gives her a sense of purpose, she has been encouraging my grandfather to move back to Puerto Rico for several years.

She has lived in NJ for over 50 years now, but since she arrived--she says--she has wanted to return. And who could blame her? The inclement NJ weather--too hot and humid in the summer and too cold in the winter--leaves much to be desired. Not to mention, that in Puerto Rico, she's the reigning matriarch of the family. There, she says, she can spend her nights playing dominos on the porch and be with her remaining family members. Though all her children live in NJ, she says that she finds that she has more purpose in Puerto Rico--where they appreciate her value more, she says--than in NJ. 

It is not uncommon for the elderly to want to return to their homeland--to relive the good old days, to retire among familiar settings, friends, and family. In fact, a study attempted to investigate elderly Germans who were living in places other than Germany.  A substantial chunk--31%--wanted to return to Germany to live the last years of the life. One site even names the desire in elderly to return home: acculturation.

Many of the elderly wish to be buried in their homeland especially. The genocide has killed and displaced millions of Sudanese people. A recent article investigated the survived and elderly that wish to be buried in Darfur once the turmoil has subsided. 

Home is never far from the heart, and apparently there can be a discrepancy between home and the homeland.