#i forgot that i used to be able to see mt baker almost every day

[asprinkleofstarlight]

15 pieces of childhood lodged in my heart

(snapshots and fleeting memories from the years i spent in delta) 1-  the top of alex fraser bridge was like the top of a mountain, where the whole world was spread before you. clusters of skyscrapers glittered gold and faraway peaks glowed purple, and in the distance, almost lost to the horizon, the vague outline of vancouver beckoned like a dream

2- driving back to delta over the bridge, mt baker loomed out of the clouds, out of the sky, snow-white, sky-blue, shrouded in fog and mystery. its flower-speckled meadows and pristine blue lakes once filled the camera roll of my phone

3- the 340 was the bus that everyone took to escape the bland monotony of delta in search of excitement elsewhere — burnaby, richmond, and, perhaps, if one disposed of enough time and such an affinity, downtown vancouver. we sat, fatigued and half-asleep in the sun, on the bench plastered with local advertisements, squinting down 64th avenue in hopes of catching a glimpse of the bus turning the corner. someone always announced in a resigned voice that the bus would be late by twenty minutes

4- the intersection of 72nd street and 120th avenue was always busy, always crowded, always full of groups of pedestrians milling impatiently at the edge of the curb, waiting for the red light to change to green. the flow of cars never ceased, not even in the darkest hours of the night 

5- metrotown and oakridge centre and guildford mall offered hours of excitement and exploration, but they were usually too far and so we were left to content ourselves with the local mall. a small handful of stores and a tiny food court tucked away at the end, right next to the walmart that used to be a zellers. the local high school students claimed that only the chinese food joint was worth mentioning 

6- for nine entire years, i followed the same path from my house to my elementary school and then high school. wade road curved gently towards 120th street at the end of the road, nicholson road sloped downwards, always slippery in winter. lyon road was the longest of the three, and before i have covered even half of the distance, the roofs of seaquam came into sight

7- the houses in the neighbourhood were familiar, filled with faces that i have known over the years. down the street, the girl who taught me to play badminton against the older boys, even though they were faster and stronger than i was. on that street corner, the girl whose height my parents always marveled at. on this street, the boy whose older brother once stared at us, confused, from his kitchen. our next door neighbours, the old couple who grew tomatoes in the backyard and whose granddaughter was in my fourth-grade class. across the street, the family friends who smiled whenever they heard me practice piano in my living room. and of course, the girl in whose room i spent innumerable nights in elementary school and high school, whose front garden was always immaculately maintained and full of blooming flowers 

8- the walk from my house to school never took longer than ten minutes in the morning, but always managed to take an hour after school, because we stood on the sidewalk facing her house, and lost ourselves in endless conversation. it was amazing how we never ran out of things to talk about. “time flies,” she remarked. “flap flap flap,” i added. we burst into laughter, full of carefreeness and joy

9- the big house at the end of the street with a four-car garage, a basketball hoop in the driveway, and a giant pool in the backyard. many of us grew up there, not only because of the weekly piano lessons in that warm, carpeted room, but also because of the kindhearted, smiling woman whom we called ‘auntie,’ who baked us cookies and threw christmas parties and welcomed us into her family

10- the food options weren't too great, but there were still a few restaurants worth going to. the japanese restaurant near london drugs and the bank, where i ate lunch with a boy for the first time. the japanese restaurant across the street, where i spilled secrets i maybe shouldn’t have, and where we shared childhood stories in whispered voices over sushi rolls and miso soup. down the road, a short drive away, ihop and denny’s, where we had giant group breakfasts before we drove to school, just in time for our first class 

11- chapters, the library, and the theatres were all conveniently located next to each other. a&w’s, starbucks, and tim hortons were within a five-minute walking distance. studying, playtime, entertainment, and dinner, all without leaving the block. we all mourned when the chapters closed 

12- sungod recreation centre was where everyone gathered on the weekends. the badminton courts were always full, players sat on the bench and awaited their turn, anxiously watching birdies hurtle through the air, minds already racing to the next tryout dates. we gathered in groups of three or four at the end of the night, waiting for someone’s mom or dad to come pick us up. our collections of half-crumpled paper admission wristbands, blue dolphin and yellow star designs fading with time and wear, steadily grew

13- everyone’s backyard was a lush forest at the edge of kittson parkway, named the watershed. the trails abounded with hikers, dog walkers, joggers, horseback riders. towering trees loomed over the trail, leaves splitting the sunlight into a thousand shattered fragments. a meadow at the heart of the park provided views of the cities beyond and offered benches engraved with the names of those who once walked these trails

14- a family of starlings once made their home in my neighbour’s attic. in the spring, the baby birds ventured out for the first time and learned to spread their wings. woodpeckers swooped from the top of the trees which they claimed for their own. robins pulled worms from the ground, squirrels stole sunflower seeds from the bird feeder, raccoons perched precariously at the edge of the birdbath and shoved their paws into the water. the next day, we found the birdbath lying on its side on the ground

15- i once borrowed a telescope from an astronomical society because i wanted to see jupiter and venus. i memorized all the constellations and all the stars, and learned the stories behind them. i learned to find orion in the winter, and lyra, cygnus, and aquila in the summer. i traced out the twinkling shapes of ursa major and ursa minor against the dark skies, and found in them the same comfort that i found in the stuffed bears lying on my bed