Dejavu – reflections on leaving the town you grew up in

Leaving the town you grew up in. Photo: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. biteslife.com
Leaving the town you grew up in. Photo: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. biteslife.com

I now remember why I left. I lived among grown people who had their lives made. Their projects were set, their goals clear, their dreams local, and their roots grown. The older ones. The four columns that held the fortress. The younger ones, triad for finish and decoration. I wanted to see what I could accomplish outside of the shadow of that luscious tree, grow my own roots and be my own tree. I wanted to not be at the mercy of, the nickel of, the clock of, somebody else. Unscrutinized to explore the smarts and the dumb. The freedom to make mistakes I no longer call so. The room to make my own path… And why, if there’s one already made I can just walk on? Because even though we’re the same, we’re also different. Because I like peace and quiet, because I like driving my own car, because I like clean air, because I cook and dine out at leisure, because I like smaller places, because I like less traffic, because I like efficiency, because I’m less patient, because even though their dreams are a wonder I can savor, they are their dreams. I now remember why I must leave again: because I must take the hard way. Because I could never settle. Because I still have my own trail to carve. Because the easy way out is never easy.

By Antonia S.

I founded this site to share my culture and the dishes I love. My native Dominican Republic, family ties to China, and travels near and far inspire my recipes. Enjoy and SHARE! Fundé biteslife.com para compartir mi cultura y los platos que me gustan. Mi tierra nativa, la República Dominicana, lazos familiares de la China y mis viajes por el mundo son la inspiración para mis recetas. Disfrute y comparte!

2 Comments

  • I know this feeling. I recently moved closer to an area I left over ten years ago. Sometimes I fear I’m being sucked in again. And I get this overwhelming feeling to get in my car and drive somewhere really far away, as fast as I can.

  • this was really powerful one for me, also, having felt as if i also had to leave “my roots”, and make my own path. if i return to the home of my own mother, i feel alien, sick, and lost. on the flip side, sometimes i think of all of us having to carve our own paths, and i wonder if there is any ground left unscathed, untouched, untrammeled. and then i feel we are all lost. . .

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