Coming home
November 17, 2006 | 12:00am
Thomas Wolfe once wrote, "You can’t go home." I used to hear that a lot but I never really agreed with it because I always thought that home is actually the one place you always can go to no matter how bad things get because it’ll always be there for you. And that thought always gave me comfort. Which was why no matter how beautiful I thought Vancouver was or how exciting I thought Las Vegas was, nothing made my heart flutter more than the thought of going back to Colorado, or more specifically, Colorado Springs, a place that, though I no longer live there, I still consider one of my homes.
So you can imagine my excitement when the plane finally landed in my old hometown after a five-hour (total) flight from Sin City. It had been a little over a decade since I last came back and although I already knew that things were going to be different, I don’t think I was fully prepared for how different until I was once again driving through the city where I grew up. First of all, there was a new boulevard where apparently all the latest shops and restaurants were located called Powers Boulevard, which was basically just flatlands the last time I saw it. Now it’s bustling with commercial life, with the standard Super Wal-Mart’s and Home Depots and McDonald’s. When I lived there it was always Academy where everything could be found, but now apparently Academy is old news; it was now all about Powers.
And it wasn’t just that. There were so many things I no longer recognized as we drove to Crestwood Springs (where we would be staying) and for a while I felt like a stranger in my own hometown. But pretty soon things slowly started coming back to me. As we passed Taco Bell and Chapel Hills Mall I began slowly recognizing small things in between everything that was new and I started, little by little, to feel like I had come home. I reminded myself that it was normal to feel a little weird at first coming back after so many years and that it was inevitable for things to change.
And yet, even with all the things that had changed there were still many things that remained the same as well, like my favorite childhood eatery of all time, Chick-fil-A, which I practically demanded as our first stop. It was like heaven sitting there again and practically inhaling the little chicken nuggets I loved so much as a child. The taste alone triggered so many happy childhood memories I couldn’t believe it had been so long since I’d been back and I was quickly reminded of all the things I used to love as a kid like malts, which I enjoyed at the famous café Michelle’s of Colorado Springs (I know, I love the name). It’s a great place that serves the most amazing food including their delicious and famous English Toffee.
I even went to visit my old house on Bella Drive and my old school Helen Keller Elementary and – talk about stepping into a time machine – it was like they hadn’t changed a bit. Though the paint on my old home had changed from our original brown and white to a dark green and cream it was still that same house I spent my childhood in and it touched something inside me seeing it again. My school, on the other hand, really hadn’t changed at all (I’m not sure if that’s good or bad). It was still the familiar red brick building with the hopscotch courts on the playground in front of the small football field. I can still remember how much time my best friend Lena and I, along with all our other friends, spent on those swings when we were younger. It was touching, and heartwarming, and to be perfectly honest, a little bit sad, too. I guess reminiscing always is to a certain extent.
And of course it goes without saying that, way above all the material things and all the Chick-fil-As, it was good to see family and friends as well – something I’m never lacking in Colorado. My favorite uncle growing up – Tito Fritz – lives there with his wife and I hadn’t seen him in ages; my cousin Sam stays there as well with her adorable three babies who I was finally meeting for the first time. It was wonderful being able to catch up after all these years. There was no awkwardness or silence and it was immediately just like old times except with all of us a little bit (okay, a lot) older. And if the new lines on our faces weren’t enough of a reminder of the passing years, my cousin’s children made sure we wouldn’t forget we were no longer spring chickens. But they sure were cute! Seeing my niece and nephews was amazing and I’m so glad I got to spend time with them. My niece in particular is such a little angel with an adorable penchant for lip gloss (she’s starting young) while my nephew Diego, who I’d last seen in baby pictures, is already taller than I was at his age. I couldn’t stop taking pictures of them.
And seeing friends was equally fun, too. While many of my childhood friends had already packed up and moved away (which is the normal trend in the States) one or two remained behind and while I didn’t get to catch up with them as I would’ve liked, it was good to be able to talk on the phone to see what they have been up to. We even spent an evening with my mom and dad’s friends Jean and Kurt and their kids who weren’t even around when I was younger. That was so much fun! It was like Sundays of the past with us sitting around eating in front of the TV watching football (go Broncos!) until eventually the moms talked and the kids played. Their daughter Kory, who I held in my arms when she was a baby, even came over from her dorm to join us and is now a whole head taller than I am. Has everyone been on growth hormones since I left? In any case, it was so good to see them again.
Obviously, Colorado Springs has always had a special place in my heart and always will. It was where I grew up. It was where I learned how to read and write and think for myself. It was where I made my first friends, some of whom I’m still friends with to this day, and it was basically where I had my first idea of the kind of person I wanted to be when I grew up. It was where I spent my childhood and therefore it will always remain the place where I believed that anything could happen and where I thought that all dreams could come true. Basically, it’s my Neverland, which is why even though I’ve settled down here and made the Philippines my home, I will always have a soft spot for the Springs.
Thomas Wolfe once wrote, "You can’t go home." I completely disagree with him. You can go home and, if you ask me, every now and again, everybody should.
So you can imagine my excitement when the plane finally landed in my old hometown after a five-hour (total) flight from Sin City. It had been a little over a decade since I last came back and although I already knew that things were going to be different, I don’t think I was fully prepared for how different until I was once again driving through the city where I grew up. First of all, there was a new boulevard where apparently all the latest shops and restaurants were located called Powers Boulevard, which was basically just flatlands the last time I saw it. Now it’s bustling with commercial life, with the standard Super Wal-Mart’s and Home Depots and McDonald’s. When I lived there it was always Academy where everything could be found, but now apparently Academy is old news; it was now all about Powers.
And it wasn’t just that. There were so many things I no longer recognized as we drove to Crestwood Springs (where we would be staying) and for a while I felt like a stranger in my own hometown. But pretty soon things slowly started coming back to me. As we passed Taco Bell and Chapel Hills Mall I began slowly recognizing small things in between everything that was new and I started, little by little, to feel like I had come home. I reminded myself that it was normal to feel a little weird at first coming back after so many years and that it was inevitable for things to change.
And yet, even with all the things that had changed there were still many things that remained the same as well, like my favorite childhood eatery of all time, Chick-fil-A, which I practically demanded as our first stop. It was like heaven sitting there again and practically inhaling the little chicken nuggets I loved so much as a child. The taste alone triggered so many happy childhood memories I couldn’t believe it had been so long since I’d been back and I was quickly reminded of all the things I used to love as a kid like malts, which I enjoyed at the famous café Michelle’s of Colorado Springs (I know, I love the name). It’s a great place that serves the most amazing food including their delicious and famous English Toffee.
I even went to visit my old house on Bella Drive and my old school Helen Keller Elementary and – talk about stepping into a time machine – it was like they hadn’t changed a bit. Though the paint on my old home had changed from our original brown and white to a dark green and cream it was still that same house I spent my childhood in and it touched something inside me seeing it again. My school, on the other hand, really hadn’t changed at all (I’m not sure if that’s good or bad). It was still the familiar red brick building with the hopscotch courts on the playground in front of the small football field. I can still remember how much time my best friend Lena and I, along with all our other friends, spent on those swings when we were younger. It was touching, and heartwarming, and to be perfectly honest, a little bit sad, too. I guess reminiscing always is to a certain extent.
And of course it goes without saying that, way above all the material things and all the Chick-fil-As, it was good to see family and friends as well – something I’m never lacking in Colorado. My favorite uncle growing up – Tito Fritz – lives there with his wife and I hadn’t seen him in ages; my cousin Sam stays there as well with her adorable three babies who I was finally meeting for the first time. It was wonderful being able to catch up after all these years. There was no awkwardness or silence and it was immediately just like old times except with all of us a little bit (okay, a lot) older. And if the new lines on our faces weren’t enough of a reminder of the passing years, my cousin’s children made sure we wouldn’t forget we were no longer spring chickens. But they sure were cute! Seeing my niece and nephews was amazing and I’m so glad I got to spend time with them. My niece in particular is such a little angel with an adorable penchant for lip gloss (she’s starting young) while my nephew Diego, who I’d last seen in baby pictures, is already taller than I was at his age. I couldn’t stop taking pictures of them.
And seeing friends was equally fun, too. While many of my childhood friends had already packed up and moved away (which is the normal trend in the States) one or two remained behind and while I didn’t get to catch up with them as I would’ve liked, it was good to be able to talk on the phone to see what they have been up to. We even spent an evening with my mom and dad’s friends Jean and Kurt and their kids who weren’t even around when I was younger. That was so much fun! It was like Sundays of the past with us sitting around eating in front of the TV watching football (go Broncos!) until eventually the moms talked and the kids played. Their daughter Kory, who I held in my arms when she was a baby, even came over from her dorm to join us and is now a whole head taller than I am. Has everyone been on growth hormones since I left? In any case, it was so good to see them again.
Obviously, Colorado Springs has always had a special place in my heart and always will. It was where I grew up. It was where I learned how to read and write and think for myself. It was where I made my first friends, some of whom I’m still friends with to this day, and it was basically where I had my first idea of the kind of person I wanted to be when I grew up. It was where I spent my childhood and therefore it will always remain the place where I believed that anything could happen and where I thought that all dreams could come true. Basically, it’s my Neverland, which is why even though I’ve settled down here and made the Philippines my home, I will always have a soft spot for the Springs.
Thomas Wolfe once wrote, "You can’t go home." I completely disagree with him. You can go home and, if you ask me, every now and again, everybody should.
BrandSpace Articles
<
>