As I walk in the neighborhoods I grew up in the nostalgia threatens to take over my thoughts. Every bruise, laugh, and hug rushes past my eyes and I welcome the memory as i would an old friend. I realize that no matter how far and wide I run this will still be home. This, where it snows 11 months in a year, where trucks rule the road, and where construction is just as much part of the landscape as the rivervalley.
I continue...
Through the hallways that were once home. Listening to those who had once, and remain my mentors. Those who helped me on my journey to the person I am today, those who shaped the person I will become.
Through the collegiate streets I once adored. Still do. The leaves crunch under my feet, and a smile finally finds its way to my mouth. So many good memories.
100 things to do, coffee dates, rivervalley walks, nearly getting run over by angry bus drivers every morning.
The smile lingers as I remember those who carried me through the most difficult times of my life. Many of whom I owe my life. All of whom each hold a piece of my heart.
The tears begin to fall, slow at first. A long breath.
They say home is where the heart is.
-Teresa Bawa-an
It's odd to read something like this coming from someone who moved away and is back in town for a visit. Whenever I think of the future, I mostly think about what I would be doing, and what life would be like; I've never thought about where I would be. Being in Software Engineering, there's a big chance of having to move to a new city, perhaps even having to move to the U.S.
I have moved away from my birthplace, but I'd say it was quite different. Having a large extended family in the Philippines, I was mostly around them, and barely hung out with my own friends. And moving to Canada was with my [immediate] family. Moving out after University however, would mean leaving home, family, friends, the familiar places, and even the nameless, yet familiar faces I see daily. I find it hard to imagine living without all these people. There's always the phone and the internet, but that's not quite the same as physically being with the people you love.
