1. I remember the day I moved to this neighborhood. I felt apprehensive at first, but that feeling quickly faded away.
2. I remember how excited I was to move, I moved so that we will be closer to my grandparents.
3. I remember the faces of my grandparents, big warm smiles, as we know we will be meeting each other much more often.
4. I remember loving the new area as I have much to explore.
5. I remember when I realized that I will be living on the other side of town.
6. I remember everything use to be so quiet, I could hear the trees dancing and birds chirping.
7. I remember when I would come back home to the smell of fresh paint.
8. I remember when the flowers bloomed and the colorful six legged creatures would have a mini gathering.
9. I remember the empty streets outside my house
10. I remember listening to the salah prayer from the mosque. It plays 5 times a day.
11. I remember when it rains and I can’t hear anything else but the pouring rain.
12. I remember when the cafe across the street opened. We ate there a lot, the food was delicious, I could smell cheese from my room. Made me hungry all the time.
13. I remember the time the cafe opened a vintage shop inside it, they sold really cool circle glasses. I love circle glasses.
14. I remember a hotel opened near us, we hated it because it made the WiFi and water supply slow.
15. I remember when the traffic became really bad. It was frustrating.
16. I remember when a service similar to UberEats was introduced in my city, I was so excited to know that I could order anything I wanted whenever I wanted.
17. I remember feeling intense sorrow for the first time when my grandmother passed away. It felt like a large part of my neighbourhood disappeared.
18. I remember a shopping mall called Paris Van Java (PVJ) one of the only shopping malls in my city. This place gave me a cornucopia or memories that I will remember forever.
19. I remember studying frantically for the IB exams at Caribou coffee. Sipping my ice peach black tea gave me some speck of happiness above all the stress.//
20. I remember having my first kiss in Caribou coffee. It was kind of a failure but forever remains as one of my funniest moments.
21. I remember seeing stores open and close in PVJ. It gave me excitement when new stores opened, but at the same time some feeling of sadness to see some businesses fail.
22. I remember helping a friend for asking a girl out on a date. He did not follow the plan at all and was miserably rejected. 23. I remember seeing my best friends for the last time in PVJ before heading off to Parsons. It was a bittersweet moment, knowing that my friends will have their own bright futures, but the feeling of separation always brings some tears. 24. I remember the time I got braces, It hurts so badly. 25. I remember the turtles in my background yard. I’ve always felt indifferent about them, maybe its because of how un-animated they are.
26. I remember an extra room in my room that we turned into a karaoke room. It seemed exciting and cool at first, but it the end we hardly used it.
27. I remember the Indonesian Independence Day celebrations on August 17. Every year I could hardly see the fireworks, but just hear them against the dark solemn backdrop of the city.
28. I remember an art exhibition opening near my house. I was enraged at how they plagiarised famous works around the world. It was really bad that my enragement turned into pure sardonicism.
29. I remember eating truffle beef steak at a really good restaurant next to the art exhibition, it was just mouth watering.
30. I remember how messy my room was when I packed up for university.
31. I remember a fire that burned my Dad’s old room in my Grandpas house. It was horrific to find out a day later of what has happened, but it reminded me of God’s grace that nobody was harmed.
32. I remember a really polluted river behind my house. It is the world’s most polluted river, but I have to say that there is a general feeling of apathy about it.
33. I remember when there was ice blocks falling from the sky. I found it really peculiar that this happened, as Indonesia is always at an excess of 20 degrees Celsius in temperature.
34. I remember driving around the housing complex in my dad’s old vintage car. It was very funny how the car broke down in the middle of the journey, but it gave my family an adventure we always look back to. / *
35. I remember cooking salmon with my best friend. It was an unnecessarily funny time, but one we documented on video and immortalised our friendship.
36. I remember when I broke my ankle, and made me see my neighbourhood in a completely different way. I was experiencing pain when walking, but I also appreciated how slow I moved and how much my surroundings mean to me.
37. I remember the school I went to from when I was 3, all the way to finishing high school. It’s also located in my neighbourhood, and it’s shaped me to be who I am now.
38. I remember remembering about all the good times I’ve had in this school – the nostalgia does kick in once your not there anymore
39. I remember waking up to a dream, but only to find my body paralyzed and incapable of voicing my shock.
40. I remember learning about make up for the very first time with my Grandma. Her care and patience, and her skills inspired me to like Fashion in the very first place.
41. I remember having guests over at my house. Sometimes, I really didn’t like them as I saw how insincere people could be.
42. I remember the time an earthquake of magnitude 6.6 hit my city. I saw an apartment complex towering over my neighbourhood sway back and forth, a playground crumbling to the ground, and the cries of many children to the shock of what is happening. By some miracle, nobody was injured. /
43. I remember seeing a solar eclipse for the very first time. I didn’t understand the significance of what was happening at the time, but since then I have become interested in astrology. /
44. I remember adopting a rabbit, I called it Asspresso for its coffee-esque fur. This was the first time I cared for a living creature, and I felt a great sense of responsibility and care.
45. I remember feeling grief-stricken when I was told that Asspresso passed away. My parents waited until after my exams to tell me. I could tell something was off with the household ambience, it did feel cold and solemn before my parents even told me.
46. I remember when i fell down outside my house.
47. I remember my family trip to Japan after graduating from high school. It was the first time I really had time for my family in 2 years. It made me realize that my neighbourhood isn’t about where it is. Whether I am living in Setra Duta, Setiabudhi, or even NYC, my neighbourhood is and always will be where my family is. Going to university made me realize what it’s like to not be in my own neighbourhood.
48. I remember the Church near my house. Being so busy with high school made me miss Sunday mass so many times. It isn’t the community I remember reminiscing, it’s the feeling of continuously learning about God.
49. I remember the poorly lit streets in front of my house. It gave my friends the chills, seeming like a scene from Friday the 13th, but I was never once afraid.
50. I remember with hindsight that, after visiting so many places , nothing will be the same as where I grew up. It’s a place where imperfection prevails, but like everywhere else in the world, it is a broken place.
