Many things came to my mind the last day I was in Albuquerque.
I could still recall those places we just visited so vividly. The elegant Santa Fe, with all those cute adobe houses, Spanish churches, and nice small museums; The grandiose scenery of the Grand Canyon; the dazzling rock formations in the Arches National Park; the multiple layers of colors of Painted Desert in the Petrified National Park; the well-preserved archaelogical sites of Mesa Verde; and of course, the experience of driving through Monument Valley. Most of these have been things I wanted to see or wanted to do for so many years. This is the first time I came to realize them.
The landscape of Southwest is, indeed, dreamy.
I remember that more than 10 years ago, after I failed my third road test for driver's license in Taiwan, I decided that I would not take another test in Taiwan and got myself humiliated again (The DMV officers in Taiwan are extremely abusive, or just because I'm too clumsy?). In that very same year, I had a very odd but very compensating dream. I dreamt that I drove a SUV, across a barren and broad landscape, 90 kilometers an hour (around 60 MPH). I was humming Emil Chou's (周華健) "The Direction of My Heart" (『心的方向』it was a former No. 1 song in Taiwan, which is also a theme song for a car commercial back in 80s). For the first time in my life, I could enjoy the pleasure of driving, though it was just a dream. I still remember I woke up smiling, so satisfied by the dream I just had. I am not sure if the landscape in my dream looked like the Southwest, however. Eleven years later, this odd dream was realized.
I also remember after viewing my classmates' slide show of the Delicate Arch, how much I wanted to visit this national park. My 'date' with the Arch did not realize until the beginning of another millennium... And, when Santa Fe was briefly voted No. 1 most favorite destination (over San Francisco and Sydney) in 1994, I wanted to see how this small city is like. I also did not manage to realize the trip until 7 years later.
No matter how long it takes for me just to realize some of my small wishes, I believe that "it is better late than never."
For me, it is especially sweet that I could realize something I had been longed for after so many years.
It was a very full flight on my way back from Albuquerque to New York. There was a high school group of more than 60 students, taking their summer trip to Europe. I chatted with the two girls sitting next to me.
"So this is your first time to Europe?" I asked them.
"Yes, we are so excited about it!!" They said.
Then I talked about those cities they would visit in their trip: London, Paris, Amsterdam, Munich, Rome, Barcelona, Madrid.....it reminded me of the good time I had in my European trips before. They felt even more excited after listening to my stories. And at the end of their trip, they would have three days' stopover in New York. They were especially excited aboout asking a "New Yorker" about New York.
"Have you been to New York?" I asked.
"No, this is our first time to the East Coast!" With their eyes wide open, I know they felt no less excited about their "stopover" than the European trip.
I felt envious. I used to have days like theirs. I used to feel so excited about going to Europe and visiting New York. Now, after traveling to Europe 5 times and living in New York for 8 months, I doubted if I still could have that kind of passion like this. I just felt jaded and cynic.
I guess when some dreams finally realize, they become a part of your daily life. Then, there is no longer the excitement.
The plane circled above New Jersey for almost an hour. It was completely dark outside. It could not land because there was no space at the LaGuadia Airport. We had to wait, wait, and wait. Now LaGuadia is the most delayed airport in the US, just like the City of New York is the most crowded city in the country. It takes longer for everything because there are too many people, too many flights.
Finally, the plane stopped circling and glide toward New York. Beneath us, I saw Staten Island (and its huge landfill), the beautiful curve of Verazzano Bridge. We were in Brooklyn.
Outside the window, the twin towers of World Trade Center was ahead of us. Looking closer, I could see the traffics on Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan Bridge, and Williamsburg Bridge. I guessed it was quite congested down there. Behind the downtown skyscrapers, I saw the blue, white, red lights shining on the Empire State Building, and not so far away, the spiky rooftop of Chrysler Building. With all the neon lights and skyline, Manhattan at night is so beautiful.
The landscape of New York is, indeed, dreamy.
I suddenly realized the reasons why I had worked so hard and tried so many times, just for moving to New York. I was always dazzled and intrigued by this city's beauty and its abundance. I had always been longing for a city with so many cultural activities and diversity. This is a city where I could see "Yi-Yi" before any of my friends all over the world. It had been always in the lanscape of my dreams. Now dreams became reality. I get too used to it and no longer feel so excited. Or maybe I'm just getting old?
Maybe I just have too much to learn, about life, about dreams, and many other things...
And about driving.
Now I, am, home. In New York.
No comments:
Post a Comment