Friday moving about
Make a list of places you have lived and tell us a bit about each place.
Marce's list
The truth is that I've lived in the Philippines all my life, but I've moved to a number of different neighborhoods over the years:
1. Sitio Crisolita, Manila: This was one of Manila's worst slums. I was born in this neighborhood actually, and I lived there till I was about eight. Though I knew the place wasn't so safe, I didn't really feel so bad about it. For me it was an interesting maze of shanties, alleys, and passages where my friends Josh, Kevin, Vi, Ollie, and I used to run about. Sometimes there would be fights, fires, or floods, but I just dealt well enough. At least I thought that way till bullets came in through the wall of our house.
2. San Mariano, Laguna: When my family moved here when I was about eight years old, this town was still a small, sleepy place. Things began to boom here when I was already in college. Objectively, it's a peaceful, beautiful place to live: open space, clean air, safe roads, conveniences nearby, and a good bus station to everywhere. However the community here is seriously very enmeshed; everyone knows everyone, especially in the more elite circles. I didn't like this part very much, especially when I went into high school. I met my best friends Ida and Lize while living here. My parents and my younger sisters consider this place our 'hometown', but really, I don't have much reason to return there anymore.
3. Sales Street, Malate, Manila: Ida and I shared an apartment here during my first two years in college. It was right next to where she was going to school, and a 2-train commute away from my university. I just got in here since I had to split the rent with someone and the apartment was a good place. Anyway Sales Street is one of the oldest avenues in Manila, and much of it is a student district since it runs past so many universities. Very convenient, lots of fun. It was quieter when I was living there, but recently more apartment complexes, cafes, restaurants and other businesses have made their way in the area. I'm told now that the younger kids there have a blast.
4. Ridgeway Heights, Quezon City: This is where my oldest sister Layla and her family live. I moved in with them before my junior year in college due to some....circumstances with my parents that led me not to be able to keep up the rent. I stayed with them through the remainder of my college years and all the way through law school. In a way it was a good move for me; it was closer to school and where I had a part time job. Layla's house here is the first place I've lived in with a proper garden; we didn't have one in San Mariano. It's a gated village, with guards and all, so it's really safe. But one needs a car to move around, or a good pair of walking shoes.
5. Edades Street, Quezon City: I moved here for a short bit after graduating from law school, so I could stay closer to where I was working as a paralegal, and have an easy commute to where I was reviewing for the bar exams. It was the first place I had on my own, a small studio apartment really with a cupboard-sized bathroom. My parents wondered why I didn't want to stay with Layla anymore, but my sister and my friends understood why I had to move out and learn to be on my own for a while.
6. Seaview Building, Roxas Boulevard, Manila: Emil and I got our first apartment here. Again, another real tiny place but with a good view of the bay and the sunset. It was pretty close to where Darren was living too, so we hung out a lot. This neighborhood was a busy place; lots of people driving up and down the boulevard, and many parks and restaurants to go to. The only thing we didn't like were the storm surges that would flood the road.
7. Blue Ridge Village, Quezon City: This is where I live now, with Emil and our kids. It's much like where Layla lives, only smaller and located in a busier neighborhood in the sense it's just five minutes away from the bus stop and half an hour away from our offices. There's actually a playground in this area, and some small stores within the village so we don't really have to go far to get anything. It's not an overly upscale place, just several streets of good-sized houses with small gardens. But it's home now.
Marce's list
The truth is that I've lived in the Philippines all my life, but I've moved to a number of different neighborhoods over the years:
1. Sitio Crisolita, Manila: This was one of Manila's worst slums. I was born in this neighborhood actually, and I lived there till I was about eight. Though I knew the place wasn't so safe, I didn't really feel so bad about it. For me it was an interesting maze of shanties, alleys, and passages where my friends Josh, Kevin, Vi, Ollie, and I used to run about. Sometimes there would be fights, fires, or floods, but I just dealt well enough. At least I thought that way till bullets came in through the wall of our house.
2. San Mariano, Laguna: When my family moved here when I was about eight years old, this town was still a small, sleepy place. Things began to boom here when I was already in college. Objectively, it's a peaceful, beautiful place to live: open space, clean air, safe roads, conveniences nearby, and a good bus station to everywhere. However the community here is seriously very enmeshed; everyone knows everyone, especially in the more elite circles. I didn't like this part very much, especially when I went into high school. I met my best friends Ida and Lize while living here. My parents and my younger sisters consider this place our 'hometown', but really, I don't have much reason to return there anymore.
3. Sales Street, Malate, Manila: Ida and I shared an apartment here during my first two years in college. It was right next to where she was going to school, and a 2-train commute away from my university. I just got in here since I had to split the rent with someone and the apartment was a good place. Anyway Sales Street is one of the oldest avenues in Manila, and much of it is a student district since it runs past so many universities. Very convenient, lots of fun. It was quieter when I was living there, but recently more apartment complexes, cafes, restaurants and other businesses have made their way in the area. I'm told now that the younger kids there have a blast.
4. Ridgeway Heights, Quezon City: This is where my oldest sister Layla and her family live. I moved in with them before my junior year in college due to some....circumstances with my parents that led me not to be able to keep up the rent. I stayed with them through the remainder of my college years and all the way through law school. In a way it was a good move for me; it was closer to school and where I had a part time job. Layla's house here is the first place I've lived in with a proper garden; we didn't have one in San Mariano. It's a gated village, with guards and all, so it's really safe. But one needs a car to move around, or a good pair of walking shoes.
5. Edades Street, Quezon City: I moved here for a short bit after graduating from law school, so I could stay closer to where I was working as a paralegal, and have an easy commute to where I was reviewing for the bar exams. It was the first place I had on my own, a small studio apartment really with a cupboard-sized bathroom. My parents wondered why I didn't want to stay with Layla anymore, but my sister and my friends understood why I had to move out and learn to be on my own for a while.
6. Seaview Building, Roxas Boulevard, Manila: Emil and I got our first apartment here. Again, another real tiny place but with a good view of the bay and the sunset. It was pretty close to where Darren was living too, so we hung out a lot. This neighborhood was a busy place; lots of people driving up and down the boulevard, and many parks and restaurants to go to. The only thing we didn't like were the storm surges that would flood the road.
7. Blue Ridge Village, Quezon City: This is where I live now, with Emil and our kids. It's much like where Layla lives, only smaller and located in a busier neighborhood in the sense it's just five minutes away from the bus stop and half an hour away from our offices. There's actually a playground in this area, and some small stores within the village so we don't really have to go far to get anything. It's not an overly upscale place, just several streets of good-sized houses with small gardens. But it's home now.