Graphic Card

Querencia Second Draft

During a typical, sunny afternoon in the Philippines, I either had the choice to: 1. Have my nannies play tea party with me, 2. Go over to my neighbor’s house to play games with me, or 3. Lay down on my hammock in the garden. I looked up at the clouds, and I decided to visit my grandmother’s garden.

I walked through the path that led me to the garden, and on the way, the sun beamed on a spider web so intricately designed, I wondered how spiders manage to make such a thing. It almost looked like a castle. After watching that inch of a spider create it’s food providing home, I decided to walk on towards the garden.

It was absolutely beautiful. Sunbeams hit spots of the garden that wasn’t hidden by trees that surrounded it, there were different fruits and vegetables, bushes with little specks of red, pink, and white flowers, and right in the middle of the garden was a hammock that my grandmother had bought for me as a welcome-home present. I lay down on the green, red, and white net hammock, and looked up. Above me were the highest points of a mango tree, with little green mangoes peeking through the leaves, and the cloudless sky. I smelled nothing but crisp, fresh air, and the familiar earthy smell of the dirt. The wind chimed through my hair, and as I closed my eyes, I heard rustling. I quickly sat up and saw my white, curly-haired dog. I picked her up, placed her on my lap, and swirled her long, thick hair. 

When I was younger, I would have visits to the Philippines with my mom and brother. On this particular visit, which took place in May, my mom decided that I should stay with my dad for a year or two. Of course, I loved the idea, since I was a daddy’s-girl type, so my dad, mum, and I went school hunting. When we came to a school that we all agreed on, we went inside. It was a big school. At that time, all I really noticed was the little, grey pebbles that had been plastered into the floor. When I was told that school would start a few days after my vacation had just started, though, I freaked out. I didn’t like to show my aggressive side to the public, because it consisted of crying and yelling, so I gave quiet, “No’s” to my mom and dad. Unfortunately, they still registered me, so when we reached the car, I let out every single thought that had passed through my mind as they signed papers. I ended up crying during the process. As much as I loved being in the Philippines, I was very shallow as a child, and I didn’t want to go to school in June, so I was strongly against my parents’ choice.

When I got home, I had my nannies pick up snacks for me. I was eating, when a shrill “DING!” reached my ears. It was our extremely annoying doorbell, and on the other side of the gate was an old friend of mine, Monica. She and I had been friends since we were very young, probably because she lived right in front of me. We decided to play in the garden. I didn’t really notice the garden when I first arrived. It was just a big plot of land my grandmother would spend a lot of her time in, and it is, but let’s not get into that right now. We walked to the garden, and decided to make mud pies. We ended up with a big pile of mud with leaves and stones as our decorations. Even though it wasn’t much, it still occupied us for about three hours. Monica ended up going home at twilight, and very dirty, too.

After that afternoon, I spent more time in the garden. I started watching my grandmother plant herbs, water her mango and avocado trees, and trim little parts of bushes that were out of place. My grandmother, who now lives in California with my aunt, was diagnosed with cancer this year, but none of us were surprised, because she had a smoking addiction. My family won’t let her go back home, because it’s too dirty in the Philippines, so she’s stuck in California. My family doesn’t visit as often as we used to, even though we have a house and lot to clean. I really do miss going home. If I were given the chance to go home, I wouldn’t hesitate to go. I was born there, so it’s literally a second home to me.

The garden was a place where I could be alone to think, where I could play, where I could spend time with my grandmother doing something we both love. It was a place of memories, both good and bad. That’s when I realized that the garden was my special place. I can’t fly to the Philippines everyday, which is why I think it’s special for me. And I think it’s better that way, so that once I arrive at the Philippines, I know that I can spend some time alone in my own little sanctuary.

Querencia Draft

During a typical, sunny afternoon in the Philippines, I either had the choice to: 1. Have my nannies play tea party with me, 2. Go over to my neighbor’s house to play doctor with me, or 3. Lay down on my hammock in the garden. I looked up at the clouds, and I decided to visit my grandmother’s garden.

            I walked through the path that led me to the garden, and on the way, the sun beamed on a spider web so intricately designed, I wondered how spiders manage to make such a thing. It almost looked like a castle. After watching that inch of a spider create it’s food providing home, I decided to walk on towards the garden.

            It was absolutely beautiful. Sunbeams hit spots of the garden that wasn’t hidden by trees that surrounded it, there were different fruits and vegetables, bushes with little specks of red, pink, and white flowers, and right in the middle of the garden was a hammock that my grandmother had bought for me as a welcome-home present. I lay down on the green, red, and white net hammock, and looked up. Above me were the highest points of a mango tree, with little green mangoes peeking through the leaves, and the cloudless sky. The wind chimed through my hair, and as I closed my eyes, I heard rustling. I quickly sat up and saw my white, curly-haired dog. I picked her up, placed her on my lap, and swirled her long hair.

            That’s when I realized that the garden was my special place. I can’t fly to the Philippines everyday, which is why I think it’s special for me. And I think it’s better that way, so that once I arrive at the Philippines, I know that I can spend some time alone in my own little sanctuary.

Querencia Brainstorm

My special place is my grandmother's garden in the Philippines. I would always sit in the garden whenever I needed a breath or two, or when I just needed to think to myself. My family and I don't visit as often as we used too, so it's a very special place to me. Sunbeams hit spots of the garden that wasn’t hidden by trees that surrounded it, there were different fruits and vegetables, bushes with little specks of red, pink, and white flowers, and right in the middle of the garden was a hammock that my grandmother had bought for me as a welcome-home present. Above me were the highest points of a tree, with little fuits peeking through the leaves, and the cloudless sky. The garden was my quiet place, where I could read, write, and just think.