Pride

On the verge of giving birth, my mother, father and brother moved from their house in Georgia to a middle class house on the corner edge of Mesa, Arizona. I was born a mile away at Desert Samaritan Hospital, now Banner Desert. I am sure at the time my parents were regretting moving in the middle of an Arizona summer, but as the years went on they got use to the heat.

I still live in that house almost 20 years later but only visit on trips back to Phoenix for the weekend. Currently I call a dorm room in Flagstaff home. Growing up I thought it was normal to swim almost year round, to almost always have a tan and to never have to cancel a picnic due to rain. It was until I visited my cousin in Seattle, Washington that I realized the whole world did not live like I did. Every summer was heaven, my siblings and I lived in the pool, and when we were not in the pool we were out in the front yard with a hose. I lived down the street from a park and in the late afternoon we would feed the ducks in the pond or take our dogs for a walk.

My parents always thought it was important for their children to get to know the area they lived in, so many Sundays were spent road tripping to the far ends of this great state; I have seen it all. My favorite though, is the drive from Mesa to Show Low. When the sun hits it just right the desert lights up in an explosion of color.

I lived in Australia briefly in high school and I saw the way they lived and became very jealous, I grew up around a lot of cement, besides that park there really wasn’t much nature. And I became angry that most of my friends had more than a pool, two orange trees and a small patch of grass for a backyard. But then I started thinking about it and I can’t think of any bad memories of growing up in Mesa. It was all I knew and I know that nothing can top Mexican food, endless pool parties, never having to pay for a fake tan and the entire city rejoicing every time it rains. Phoenix really is a unique city.

I left home two years ago to discover my year of university and first snow in Flagstaff. I must admit I spent a good part of last year thinking I was crazy for giving up such wonderful weather to go live in the cold. But I am so happy here at Northern Arizona University. When I was looking for colleges I knew I couldn’t stray too far, and ASU and UofA really didn’t appeal to me. NAU really was my best option, plus they had my major. As you drive up the 17 you start to see the change in landscape, and by the time you reach Flagstaff you know that it is completely different from any other city in Arizona. When snow builds on the peaks, the city turns into a winter wonderland. I love telling people I go to a University in Arizona that gets snow, no one believes me. Flagstaff is the smallest town I have ever lived in and it really has opened my eyes to an entire community that really cares for each other and really caters to an athletic, adventures lifestyle. I love Flagstaff and its seasons but I also love how close it is to Mesa, it only takes me two hours to get home. I love both of my homes in Arizona and I wouldn’t trade the past 20 years for any thing.

I will move on, but it’s always nice to have pride in where you came from. It’s always nice to see Arizona on a map and say that’s my home, my roots, where it all started.