Sirens, lights, noise , car alarms, pedestrians, the sun setting did not stop the loud atmosphere I experienced in Chicago. Even at 2am, I would hear pedestrians taking strolls. Living in my tiny condominium, I felt like my home was no different than my daycare. Toys piled up at the corner wall and every socket was sealed for child protection. I remember the child proof gate covering the staircase to the two rooms upstairs. I could hear people walking down the hall, talking at odd hours. The door man was a nice old man, always saluting the residents, in his bright blue uniform. The mailboxes were all lined up at the entrypoint with key holes…so many tiny boxes next to each other. I remember the little pinhole on the door to see who was knocking and the locked glass door that let my parents into our condominium, into Room 404. At Streeterville, the front yard was a tiny plot of grass in front of the windows of the living room. I would take walks with my parents along the river, watching the sunlight bounce off the skyscrapers. I knew that Michigan Avenue was a large street because there was always traffic on the bridge above my strolls.

I placed my red, large elmo doll and blue blanket in my suitcase. My brother made sure not to forget any lego sets. I was scared. I did not know what to expect. My mom said we were moving to get closer to grandma. My parents told my brother and I that the truck was coming soon, a large truck to move us to the suburbs. While my brother and I were putting our belongings in open suitcases, my parents were busy with cleaning the place. My dad spent days repainting the walls as my mom deep cleaned the floors. I was leaving my crib, my home to a new world, a new home. I saw piles and piles of brown boxes, each labeled with what was inside. Everyday the boxes only multiplied and the living room soon became full of these boxes. So many changes in that hot summer of 2008. Getting on the highway, I waved goodbye to my old home. It was bittersweet as I was now going into a new realm. The drive was long and I fell asleep in my car seat. When I woke up, I was met by greenery, lots of trees and plots of grass, lots of large back yards and homes in rows against small streets. No high rise buildings blocking the sun, no large streets full of traffic, a new quiet place with space.

My dad pulled up the driveway on our maroon Camry. The house was a nice 3 bedroom tri-level home. The house was built in 1978, a time when split level homes were the most popular. My mom grew up in this same home. When my dad opened the garage, my brother and I ran out of the car through the stairway leading to the office, the mudroom. Taking off our shoes as a family tradition, we ran to the family room, both rooms underground. I saw an old fireplace and new yellow carpet that matched all the rooms of the house. As I climbed upstairs, I immediately walked into the kitchen. My mom reassured me that grandpa bought everything to remodel this home, make it newer, more modern. The living room and dining room both had large windows, decked in new curtains that were set in heavy white material, twisting and turning at the top like U shaped designs. I ran upstairs to claim my room, the room of my uncle while my brother claimed my mom’s old room. I was excited to have my own room for the first time in my life, and so much space. In the large basement I placed all of our toys, which is where my brother and I have spent hours for years. We built a large train set, large lego sets, set up tents, and placed soccer, all inside this underground basement. The laundry room was next door and so was the furnace, in an adjacent room. I remember my parents having to light the furnace with matches when the heating system was down. I grew up in this home, a simple home, a home where memories were flooded for my mom from her upbringing, a place for her to cherish and for me to grow up in. I began my new Kindercare at South Naperville, where grandma would pick me up every day since my mom would finish work late. Then I matriculated in Naper elementary, Washington junior high and Naperville North. Naperville was so different from Chicago, so much quieter at night, a house that was so much bigger and so much more closet space. Of course it was the backyard that was my second favorite place besides the basement. Running around trees and grass, a drastic change from the small plot of a few cubic feet in the city. I will never forget that moment, the moment that I was placed in a completely different environment, the move from the city to the suburbs, a move that I am glad to have made, a move that gave me more space to live and enjoy, a new beginning.