This week in class we were learning the vocabulary word 'habitat' and the definition given in the text was 'where something makes its home.' This started me thinking about homes. My students' idea that a home is "the place where you live" didn't satisfy me, and even "where your family is" or "where you've been the longest" seemed too narrow of a description. The only qualifier that encompassed all of my feelings was this: A home is where part of your heart will be forever.
I feel like I've had a lot of homes already. Oregon, of course, where I have spent so many wonderful years with family and friends, is home. So are certain places in Utah where I have lived while going to school. Belgium is another; even though I was only there for a few months, it was a home by the time I left.
Unlike Voldemort, who was unaware of his splitting soul when he inadvertently created a seventh horcrux, I always know when a piece of my heart is left behind. I remember the day I arrived by boat in Cagliari, Italy, and I knew immediately that when I did have to leave this city it would be a painful parting. I woke up every morning loving something new about it, from the birds flying outside our 5th story window, to the people who invited us - as random strangers - to have dinner with them, to the fruit that would fall on my head as we jogged under date trees in the city. When I got word that I would have to leave I felt physical pain that I hadn't experienced so acutely before, nor have I since. I knew that my heart would always ache for the substantial piece severed and left behind in Cagliari.
Other homes have been added since then, and I keep wondering how my heart can still function, being spread as thinly as it is. Sometimes I even feel disloyal knowing that even as I am leaving one home, I will find another. And in certain moments my heart aches for something that will last, something that won't change and that I will never have to leave behind.
This feeling of being "homesick for heaven," as I learned to call it, reminds me that the biggest piece of my heart was left behind a long time ago, when I left my Heavenly home to make a new one on earth. And as much as I love all of my homes here and now, I am excited to return to that one some day, hopefully to stay. :)
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Monday, September 3, 2012
Tucson: First (Month's) Impressions
Tucson really is a colorful place. And I am not just talking about the 4 hues of rock that people can choose from in "landscaping" their yards, or the colorful language of my next door neighbor. It is a quirky place, and the longer I am here the more I discover those things that can either endear (or estrange) this city to its occupants.
First of all there are the roads. I can't remember if I have mentioned them before, but I have seriously wondered if someone goes out with a shovel at night and takes out chunks of asphalt, just for the heck of it. There are huge pieces of road missing! As much as I miss my motorcycle, I would be a nervous wreck trying to navigate around the holes, and even in a car I have to be constantly watching the road. (I know this is a good idea anyway, but it does make it harder to spot places you are looking for when you are playing at a real live Mario Kart.)
I do like that Tucson roads follow the grid system. I was recently informed that all of the major roads are at stoplights 1 mile apart, which makes running calculations easier. The only downside to that is that the crosswalks are few and far between, so most people don't bother with them. When I first arrived here it seemed like jaywalking was the preferred form of exercise for most Tucsonans, and I am still not convinced otherwise.
Something about Tucson that I absolutely love is the wildlife, specifically the lizards. Those of you who know me well know that I have an affinity for reptiles, and the fact that they scamper across my sidewalk as I head out to school every morning totally makes my day. I even caught 2 baby horny toad lizards the other day! They were so cute, and it is fascinating to hold such an obvious relative of dinosaurs in your hand without fearing for your life. :)
Have I told you about the "washes" of Tucson yet? This is what gets me most of all. Every mile or so Tucson has what is called a "wash" - a dry bed of dirt, sand, or cement that looks like it could be the sad remains of what once contained flowing water - and they give them names like "Rose Wash" or "Pantano Wash", like it is some kind of tourist attraction. They are bone dry until...monsoon season! Then they catch all the runoff and turn into a temporary creek or river, lasting anywhere from 2-48 hours before the earth can finally absorb all the moisture. They are purely decorative for the other 11 months of the year, but during monsoon season the Tucson "washes" serve a useful purpose.
These are just a few of the things that have made an impression on me since my transfer here. There are others, like the Sonoran cacti (the classic, movie-style cactus that actually only grows in the Sonoran dessert), the air force base full of retired war planes (which I get to drive past in my commute), and the exceptionally good Mexican food I have had since moving here. I am not sure how long I will be in the Southwest, but it has definitely made a mark. And that is not counting the sun-induced extra freckles on my nose.
P.S. I do wear sunscreen most of the time...
First of all there are the roads. I can't remember if I have mentioned them before, but I have seriously wondered if someone goes out with a shovel at night and takes out chunks of asphalt, just for the heck of it. There are huge pieces of road missing! As much as I miss my motorcycle, I would be a nervous wreck trying to navigate around the holes, and even in a car I have to be constantly watching the road. (I know this is a good idea anyway, but it does make it harder to spot places you are looking for when you are playing at a real live Mario Kart.)
I do like that Tucson roads follow the grid system. I was recently informed that all of the major roads are at stoplights 1 mile apart, which makes running calculations easier. The only downside to that is that the crosswalks are few and far between, so most people don't bother with them. When I first arrived here it seemed like jaywalking was the preferred form of exercise for most Tucsonans, and I am still not convinced otherwise.
Something about Tucson that I absolutely love is the wildlife, specifically the lizards. Those of you who know me well know that I have an affinity for reptiles, and the fact that they scamper across my sidewalk as I head out to school every morning totally makes my day. I even caught 2 baby horny toad lizards the other day! They were so cute, and it is fascinating to hold such an obvious relative of dinosaurs in your hand without fearing for your life. :)
Have I told you about the "washes" of Tucson yet? This is what gets me most of all. Every mile or so Tucson has what is called a "wash" - a dry bed of dirt, sand, or cement that looks like it could be the sad remains of what once contained flowing water - and they give them names like "Rose Wash" or "Pantano Wash", like it is some kind of tourist attraction. They are bone dry until...monsoon season! Then they catch all the runoff and turn into a temporary creek or river, lasting anywhere from 2-48 hours before the earth can finally absorb all the moisture. They are purely decorative for the other 11 months of the year, but during monsoon season the Tucson "washes" serve a useful purpose.
These are just a few of the things that have made an impression on me since my transfer here. There are others, like the Sonoran cacti (the classic, movie-style cactus that actually only grows in the Sonoran dessert), the air force base full of retired war planes (which I get to drive past in my commute), and the exceptionally good Mexican food I have had since moving here. I am not sure how long I will be in the Southwest, but it has definitely made a mark. And that is not counting the sun-induced extra freckles on my nose.
P.S. I do wear sunscreen most of the time...
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