Creating Home Away from Home

Welcome visitors to your site with a short, engaging introduction.

Hi there! We're Sonia and Anya, and we've been living in a student dorm in Weimar since October 2022. Being away from our homes, we realized that we needed to quickly create a new sense of home for ourselves. We became curious about how others went through this process and if it was possible for them to set up a new home here.

Our research project is centered around the lives of dormitory dwellers at Merketastraße in dormitories 48 and 48a. The objective of this project is to examine how these students have adapted to their new environment. Through this research project, we hope to provide a deeper understanding of the intricate relationship between homemaking and identity formation. By delving into the symbolic and material aspects of their living spaces, we aim to capture the essence of their cultural backgrounds and the ways in which they have crafted a sense of belonging within their dormitory rooms.

Concept

How do students establish a sense of home and apply homemaking routines in the student dormitory at Merketalstraße, 48 & 48a in Weimar?

Methodology

We employed a combination of semi-structured interviews, photography, and observations in our research, all conducted within the confines of the dormitory building. Our interactions with the participants took place either outside, near the dorm's entrance, or inside their individual rooms. Initially, we focused on establishing rapport and gathering their overall impressions of home, the dormitory, and their personal connection to it. When inside participants' rooms, we requested that they share items that held sentimental value and evoked memories of home, encouraging them to recount the stories behind these objects. Throughout this process, we diligently documented the proceedings with photographs

Participants

Our findings

1. Material objects are "keepers" of nostalgia and memories, evoking a sense of home for individuals.

2. Homemaking encompasses daily routines and sensory elements like sound, smell, and taste.

3. A sense of belonging and comfort is fostered through meaningful connections with others, even if they were previously unknown. Shared experiences and commonalities create a sense of familiarity, creating a sense of home.

4. Students from different geographical origins have varying amounts of belongings that remind them of home. Those from distant regions tend to have more of these items due to the stark contrast between their new environment and their place of origin.

5.Objects serve different purposes depending on their use. While some objects are practical and serve a specific function, others hold sentimental value and serve as memories.