Of all the places on earth, our sweet homes are probably the only places we feel safest.

They are also the only places we are at liberty to do whatever we want without fearing
repercussions. Our homes are our sanctuaries.

We are the undisputed leaders, we call the shots. We are kings and queens and our
houses are our castles. Within the precincts of our houses, we are untouchable. I love
our beautiful house. It isn’t much, but it is one of our prized possessions.

I love everything about it, from its size, design, location and if I had a choice, I wouldn’t
have asked for any other house. It is still not yet in our possession, but in a few years’
time we will be through with the mortgage and the house will be all ours.

Standing at more than 15,000 sq ft. piece of land, our two stories building is designed in
the southern style. Our house is quite large with five bedrooms. My parents were lucky
to have bought it at 25% of its current market value. Our realtor had informed our
parents that this area had the prospect of growth in the few coming years.

My dad was not for the idea, but my mother pestered him to consider the prospects of
owning a home in the newly established suburbs. She had grown tired of the city life,
too much noise, over congestion and everything was very costly there. She needed
change or rather, she needed to revert back to her former self. She was born a country
girl. My dad was the city boy. They met in college and she decided to move in with him
to the city.

Seeing that we were among the first people in the neighborhood, the realtor decided to
give us a 10% discount. What caught my father’s attention however was the fact that he
could pay for the house through a mortgage. I was almost in my teens when we moved
to our new house. I was scared of the change in environment.

I was so used to the city life that I had never ever anticipated in my life that I would live
in the suburbs. I was worried that I would lose my friends when we changed school. The
good thing was that the area was not yet developed and there were no schools. So, my
sisters and I maintained the same school and since father and mother both worked in
the city, each day they would drop us to school before they went to their respective jobs.

As time went by, I got used to the idea of living in our new home. The days were
peaceful, the surrounding was serene and the people were friendly. When we moved in,
they all came to welcome us as a gesture of goodwill. The trees around our homesteads
were beautiful and the birds inhabiting them entertained us with their incessant singing
every morning.
As I grew older, I realized that my suburban home was like heaven on earth. My city
friends were always mesmerized by the beauty of our surrounding whenever they came
over for sleepovers. It was always refreshing for them to experience something different
in life. However, I did not share the same enthusiasm when I went to their apartments in
the city.

Life was not as fancy as it used to when we first lived in the city. I could not even sleep
peacefully with all the honking and noises outside. These trips were an eye opener for
me. I learnt the value of having a home and how much my home meant to me. Our
neighborhood has really changed, since we first set foot here.

Now, it is more populated. Schools have been built, we have a college around the
corner, there is a mall, coffee shops- in short, we have everything here and we do not
need to run to the city to get anything. We are one close-knit community and nothing
gets by us. So, it is highly unlikely that anything could go wrong in our neighborhood,
because someone is always watching. Incidences of crime are nonexistent. If you want
anything, you just ask your neighbor. If there are wrangles between families, they are
solved at a community level.

So, when I talk about my home, I’m not just referring to the house that I live in. My home
is inclusive of my neighborhood, my community, the surroundings and everything in it.
These are the things that make life worthwhile and memorable.

During the day, the place is buzzing with activities: men in suits going to work, women
taking their kids to school or walking their pets or going for morning jogs and teenagers
in groups strolling to their respective institutions to study.

The activities are not much different from the city. However, in the suburbs there is
always calmness, people are never in a hurry, always greeting each other and
sometimes standing together to ponder about the affairs of the community.

The evenings are also very quiet and peaceful, except for a few incidences of mothers
shouting at their kids to stop misbehaving or sharp cries of babies. But, these
incidences do not go unnoticed and the next day the neighbors may seek to know if
everything was fine. Many people may see this as prying into other people’s business,
but to us it’s a gesture of concern.

Our community is that close. The evenings are well lit with street lights and security
lights from houses. There are also neighborhood watches, where groups of our
courageous men take turns to watch over the community, especially if there was an
incident that threatened our security. There are also police patrols once in a while.
Not even one single house is gated. Cars are usually parked in the driveways, without
any worries. The driveway is well tarmacked and each household contributes towards
its maintenance. Houses are evenly spaced and are arranged in a straight line. They all
have beautiful kept lawns with hose pipes sprinkling water on them.

Next to the driveways are nicely paved pathways for people and animals to walk on. We
support each other whenever we can. Whether it is a garage sale, where a family is
trying to raise money or it is our high school sports team that wants fanatical support,
one thing is certain: count on us to always be there.

All the houses have at least one tree, which makes the place quite cool most of the
year. The trees are especially helpful during the summer when the high temperatures
are unbearable. During the seasons of spring and autumn, the trees bring out a
picturesque view of the place with flowers blooming and falling all over. Winters are very
tricky with snow all over the place, however the warmth of people always sees us
through.

The holidays are always celebrated in unison- no one goes outside the norm. If it is the
Halloween, everyone decorates their homes with scary assortments, dress in Halloween
costumes and go trick or treating. If it is the thanks giving celebrations, be rest assured
that there is a turkey being cooked in every house. During Sundays, most people throng
to the community church to get spiritual nourishing.

Standing majestically for more than three decades is our house. It has seen a series of
makeovers over the years that it is a far cry from what it used to be when my parents
bought it. A place that I still consider a heaven within a heaven, even though I and my
two sisters have already moved out. My parents now run a coffee shop a few blocks
from the house, since they are now retired.

My brother who was discharged from army duty lives with them. He has installed an
American flag on top of the house just to announce to the whole world that he was in
the service and troublemakers should keep their distance. Each time I visit the place I’m
bombarded by nostalgic feelings that it is always hard for me to go back to the city.

The place is still the same. People still exhibit the same calmness, never in a hurry and
always willing to come to the aid of those in need. The only thing changing are the
people- they are either moving in or out. Most of the people I grew up with have either
left for the city like me or have relocated to other cities.

What makes this place special to me are the special memories that it has given me. It
gives me hope that amidst all the chaos that are happening all over the place, there is a
place that people are still living in harmony irrespective of race, religion or any other
factor that is used to discriminate people. Our family has come to the agreement that
the house will not be sold, at least not in our time, and will act as memorabilia for our
family.