While I was still living in Ecuador, my family usually ended up spending a significant amount of traveling around the States during the summers. One of the best things about these trips was the way the Miami airport felt: the moment I stepped off the plane, everything felt clearer in a sense, and airier. Not only did it feel a certain way, but it also had a distinct scent.
I'm currently sitting at my little desk in the cardiology office where I work and I can smell that scent. I've come to associate it with summer, because of those month-long trips during my missionary life, and heat and romance. It's thicker than the air I'm used to and lighter, too, all at the same time. It smells like shopping malls and Christian camps, the drive on the way to In-N-Out and hours and hours worth of family road trips. It smells like Fourth of July fireworks and relatives I barely know and sometimes what I can remember of the East Coast and churches - dozens, hundreds, THOUSANDS of churches all shaken across the country like rainbow sprinkles on top of a mini cup of old fashioned vanilla frozen yogurt from Golden Spoon. It smells like falling in love too quickly and bad choices and my sister screaming and my brother cuddling and it smells like songs I made up about Tyler Padgett and living out of a suitcase and huge scoops of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream.
It smells like dreaming about my future and what returning to live in this "foreign" world would look like.
And now I'm moving into my third year of living independently in Southern California and it still only takes three-and-a-half weeks of Ecuadorian life to signal my nose to this epically American scent. But that's ok, because I don't think I ever want to get to the point where Ecuador is the place that smells weird to me.
Showing posts with label home. Show all posts
Showing posts with label home. Show all posts
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Typical
This week is the first week of classes. I don't know if this is a normal thing to feel, but this week always gets me anxious. There's all these new people to meet, and unknown classrooms to find and then have to choose who looks the nicest to sit next to, and waking up at earlier hours. It just generally sucks. The worst part, though, is when I have to introduce myself.
I don't know why college professors do this. For every course, during the first session, the professor always makes the students give their names, usually something interesting about themselves, and where they're from. I thought maybe my Church History professor would be different. He spent half of the class yesterday talking about the syllabus and why you have to be selective in teaching this subject and the connection between studying Theology and History. But even he finally got to the part that I hate.
"Ah, so far we're all from California. Who's next... Rheahhhna Cline?" He reads from the roll.
"Actually, it's RheAnna."
He jots down a note on the list. "And where are you from?"
"Quito, Ecuador."
At this point, the room erupts in a burst of "That's so cool!"s and "Wow, how exotic!"s. In most classes, at least one person mentions how their friend is from Ecuador and I say, "Sarah Miller?" or "Paige Larrea?" or "Maia Froehlich?" or any of the other Alliance classmates who ended up at APU and we have a brief connection over the impossibility that we would both know the same person from a foreign country. Except it's not that impossible.
And that is how it always is during the first week of class. I'm considering changing my hometown to Azusa.
I don't know why college professors do this. For every course, during the first session, the professor always makes the students give their names, usually something interesting about themselves, and where they're from. I thought maybe my Church History professor would be different. He spent half of the class yesterday talking about the syllabus and why you have to be selective in teaching this subject and the connection between studying Theology and History. But even he finally got to the part that I hate.
"Ah, so far we're all from California. Who's next... Rheahhhna Cline?" He reads from the roll.
"Actually, it's RheAnna."
He jots down a note on the list. "And where are you from?"
"Quito, Ecuador."
At this point, the room erupts in a burst of "That's so cool!"s and "Wow, how exotic!"s. In most classes, at least one person mentions how their friend is from Ecuador and I say, "Sarah Miller?" or "Paige Larrea?" or "Maia Froehlich?" or any of the other Alliance classmates who ended up at APU and we have a brief connection over the impossibility that we would both know the same person from a foreign country. Except it's not that impossible.
And that is how it always is during the first week of class. I'm considering changing my hometown to Azusa.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Quarter Life Crisis
I'm in Quito, Ecuador. The one in South America.
It's only been six days since I returned to the país de mi alma. I don't think I can describe the completely strange feeling of walking into "my" house and not knowing where "my" bedroom was. It's odd, because as much as I love this new house, it still feels like we're staying in somebody else's home. I'm hoping that will change, that by the end of my time here, I'll actually be able to find my way to the laundry room.
Flew in Thursday night. Thanked God for getting me to Quito without having to spend the night in Guayaquil (I would have hated that). Cried as soon as I saw my parents while riding the escalator out of the hallway at the airport. Jumped on my brother and sister while they were trying to sleep. Stayed up late just to revel in the newness of the new house.
Friday and Saturday: Alliance choir concert. Felt jittery at the notion of seeing people I hadn't seen in a year. Thankfully avoided too many awkward moments with said people. Laughed with my best friend one night, then flirted with my brother's underage friends the next. "Illegal" flirting is probably the best kind.
Sunday, went to the church that has been a part of my family for about 50 years. Reconnected with my youth pastor from Dana Point and finally met his wife. Felt jittery about that, too, until I realized that who I am, and who I was back then, is not made up of one person. Was filled with memories I kept to myself and feelings I hadn't thought of in a long time. Scored an age of 41 on the Wii fitness test.
Saw best friend number two on Monday afternoon. Visited my high school as a non-high school student and felt weird about it. Was almost not recognized as an alumni by the school nurse. Hung around the big soccer field and waited for first best friend to come on campus. Was 1/3 of 3/4 of a bear hug of a best friend reunion. Played Prince of Persia, Fable 2, and Halo 3 on the Xbox 360. I really missed that thing.
Tuesday, wore pajamas, did nothing. Made sugar cookies and worked on Christmas presents. Quizzed my sister on her Science test (mitosis is the first and most important stage of cell division) and partook in a dinner party with people I didn't know so well. Am now sitting in my dad's office chair, trying to get sleepy enough to go to bed.
Once the little bro and sis get out of school, I'll be more productive. I promise.
Friday, February 1, 2008
A house
Tonight, I'm in Colorado Springs.
It's funny how many memories can be connected with just one house. My grandparents have owned this particular home for as long as I can remember and probably even before that; countless Christmases and various summer vacations have been spent here, miniature golfing at the Putt-Putt course down the road, cracking nuts in the living room, and of course, getting as much of the family together as possible for that essential family portrait, many of which hang in positions of importance in this house.
The last time I was here, I was spending only a night before a long road trip back to Dana Point, California. I was preoccupied with thoughts of "major" social events I was missing, a church choir program and several all-important date nights in particular. (In fact, I was so consumed by those thoughts that I even forgot to notice the brand-new shelving unit in the living room.)
A house can measure your growth just like those enormous rulers your parents used to draw on the back of your bedroom door. Every time you enter a house, all the feelings you felt the last time you were there welcome you at the entrance, and for a slight moment, you're exactly the same person you were two years ago.
It's funny how many memories can be connected with just one house. My grandparents have owned this particular home for as long as I can remember and probably even before that; countless Christmases and various summer vacations have been spent here, miniature golfing at the Putt-Putt course down the road, cracking nuts in the living room, and of course, getting as much of the family together as possible for that essential family portrait, many of which hang in positions of importance in this house.
The last time I was here, I was spending only a night before a long road trip back to Dana Point, California. I was preoccupied with thoughts of "major" social events I was missing, a church choir program and several all-important date nights in particular. (In fact, I was so consumed by those thoughts that I even forgot to notice the brand-new shelving unit in the living room.)
A house can measure your growth just like those enormous rulers your parents used to draw on the back of your bedroom door. Every time you enter a house, all the feelings you felt the last time you were there welcome you at the entrance, and for a slight moment, you're exactly the same person you were two years ago.
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Eleven Things My Mama Should Have Taught Me
After one (happy, crazy, growthful, changing, difficult, spectacular, lovely, joyful, lonely) semester of college, I have come to understand these things:
1) Mostly, you relate to the people you knew previous to your first college experience in a completely different way after you've come home. To me, this means that I am officially an adult in the Cline/Scholl crowd; I partake in adult conversations, without fear of giving my own opinion or even telling Kevin to shut up. It also means that stupid high school cliques are no longer in control of my social life. (This is where I insert a five-minute long sigh of relief.)
2) People are hard to live with. It doesn't matter who they are, where they came from, how similar they are to your own personality; people are just hard to live with. And once you can master the "art of losing" all the things that make your life familiar, it is five hundred thousand times easier to live with another person.
3) Pop-tarts and string cheese can be a suitable meal for anytime of the day!
4) It is completely normal to eat by yourself, whether you're in the cafeteria or hiding out in your dorm room.
5) Friends require upkeep. After about six years of having three perfectly synced friends who practically fell into my life, this was the hardest for me to come to terms with. It takes time for faces to become acquaintances, acquaintances to become casual friends, casual friends to become close.
6) Facebook is a SICKNESS.
7) No matter how awkward I feel about the whole "Third Culture Kids of APU Unite!" thing, I have to admit that it does make me feel ten times more comfortable when I realize that a professor is a former MK or a classmate spent most of her life in a different country. It's not because I can't relate to your average American, it's because I can relate better to people who have had similar experiences to mine. And that's true for everyone, whether we're talking about the language you speak, or the kind of school you graduated from, or the place you grew up in. People are naturally drawn to those who are like themselves. And no matter how self-obsessive that might seem, it's good.
8) You are different. I am different. We are all freakin' different, so it's completely futile to go around acting like you're God's gift to society. Get over yourself.
9) 7:15 Walk/Jog classes are never a good idea.
10) Sometimes people suck. (That's why forgiveness is such an intense theme in the Bible.)
11) Tie-dye is way cool in college.
I started this blog entry about a month ago, but I got frustrated with how Blogger changes the language if you're in a different country and since I was in Ecuador (South America, not Africa), everything was in Spanish and it just bothered me. So even though the new semester has already started, pretend it hasn't.
1) Mostly, you relate to the people you knew previous to your first college experience in a completely different way after you've come home. To me, this means that I am officially an adult in the Cline/Scholl crowd; I partake in adult conversations, without fear of giving my own opinion or even telling Kevin to shut up. It also means that stupid high school cliques are no longer in control of my social life. (This is where I insert a five-minute long sigh of relief.)
2) People are hard to live with. It doesn't matter who they are, where they came from, how similar they are to your own personality; people are just hard to live with. And once you can master the "art of losing" all the things that make your life familiar, it is five hundred thousand times easier to live with another person.
3) Pop-tarts and string cheese can be a suitable meal for anytime of the day!
4) It is completely normal to eat by yourself, whether you're in the cafeteria or hiding out in your dorm room.
5) Friends require upkeep. After about six years of having three perfectly synced friends who practically fell into my life, this was the hardest for me to come to terms with. It takes time for faces to become acquaintances, acquaintances to become casual friends, casual friends to become close.
6) Facebook is a SICKNESS.
7) No matter how awkward I feel about the whole "Third Culture Kids of APU Unite!" thing, I have to admit that it does make me feel ten times more comfortable when I realize that a professor is a former MK or a classmate spent most of her life in a different country. It's not because I can't relate to your average American, it's because I can relate better to people who have had similar experiences to mine. And that's true for everyone, whether we're talking about the language you speak, or the kind of school you graduated from, or the place you grew up in. People are naturally drawn to those who are like themselves. And no matter how self-obsessive that might seem, it's good.
8) You are different. I am different. We are all freakin' different, so it's completely futile to go around acting like you're God's gift to society. Get over yourself.
9) 7:15 Walk/Jog classes are never a good idea.
10) Sometimes people suck. (That's why forgiveness is such an intense theme in the Bible.)
11) Tie-dye is way cool in college.
I started this blog entry about a month ago, but I got frustrated with how Blogger changes the language if you're in a different country and since I was in Ecuador (South America, not Africa), everything was in Spanish and it just bothered me. So even though the new semester has already started, pretend it hasn't.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
We'll make the great escape
My high school World Religion and Cults teacher (the infamous Greg Collard) told me once that there is one month in the fall semester that is more difficult than all the others for college freshmen. I don't exactly remember which month he was talking about, probably because I was semi-busy looking out the window and pretending I was a butterfly who could fly to the windows of the Hospital Vozandes and cheer up all the sick people. In my personal experience, though, that one most difficult month has been November.
If I lived in a place other than Southern California where the weather actually turns cold and stays that way, I think that would be justification enough for a despressing November. As much as I love snow and cold and rain, I can't imagine bundling up to face wind every day during the fall and winter. (Today, I'm actually wearing a short dress and my roommate and I still haven't turned off the a/c in our room since school started. This is my blissful life as a Californian, I guess.) On that note, I am extremely thankful that God decided to put me in a place like Azusa, where the only thing that blocks the sun is smog and girls who wear Uggs have to pair them with short shorts to keep themselves from suffocating.
However, the lack of fitful weather makes it necesary for me to find something else to blame the overwhelmingness of this month on.
Could it be all the pressure, the pressure of turning in all my projects when they're due, of making time to study for tests that matter, of writing this blog before my next Beginnings class?
Could it be social tensions? People change in college, whether they're trying to or not, and dealing with that has become a headache of it's own.
Could it be homesickness?
Mmhmm yep. Yep to all of the above.
It just boils down to the fact that I'm living, absolutely LIVING, for my next vacation (which happens to be in exactly seven days!) and for this thought: is it really possible that we are almost halfway through the year already?
And bee tee dub, all the stress is also making me incredibly joyful. Go figure.
If I lived in a place other than Southern California where the weather actually turns cold and stays that way, I think that would be justification enough for a despressing November. As much as I love snow and cold and rain, I can't imagine bundling up to face wind every day during the fall and winter. (Today, I'm actually wearing a short dress and my roommate and I still haven't turned off the a/c in our room since school started. This is my blissful life as a Californian, I guess.) On that note, I am extremely thankful that God decided to put me in a place like Azusa, where the only thing that blocks the sun is smog and girls who wear Uggs have to pair them with short shorts to keep themselves from suffocating.
However, the lack of fitful weather makes it necesary for me to find something else to blame the overwhelmingness of this month on.
Could it be all the pressure, the pressure of turning in all my projects when they're due, of making time to study for tests that matter, of writing this blog before my next Beginnings class?
Could it be social tensions? People change in college, whether they're trying to or not, and dealing with that has become a headache of it's own.
Could it be homesickness?
Mmhmm yep. Yep to all of the above.
It just boils down to the fact that I'm living, absolutely LIVING, for my next vacation (which happens to be in exactly seven days!) and for this thought: is it really possible that we are almost halfway through the year already?
And bee tee dub, all the stress is also making me incredibly joyful. Go figure.
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