MY RESIDUAL HOME, AGAIN (November 26, 2016)
A bit more than a quarter of a century ago, just before the beginning of the end of Yugoslavia, I ruminated about where I belonged (“My Residual Home,” January 3, 1990). Legally a Yugoslav, I did not feel like one any longer. I was living in the States at the time, but I did not feel like an American, either. I was about to move to England, but I knew I could never become an Englishman. Thus I declared myself a European. My residual home, I declared happily at the time. In the meanwhile, things have changed. And how. Legally I am a Croatian now, but I do not feel like one. I have a British passport, but a Briton I can hardly ever become. In addition, I am a citizen of the European Union, but I do not feel like a European any longer. Far from it. So, how about my residual home? Luckily, I have an answer that is straightforward enough, as well as legally sound: Borgo 18, 52424 Motovun, Istria, Croatia. To my joy, it is also known as Ca’ Bon. My residual home, this time for true.