Before I came to Canada, I had lived in an apartment for 10 years, still the longest time I have inhabited in a residential property. As a child, I had questioned myself, why can’t I move one day, just like others who have long ago. In the end, I got my wish granted, few months before permenantly setting foot onto Canada, that apartment was sold and my parents rented another flat for the remaining months. I have to say moving was and still is the worst experience ever. It takes hours to move from one place to another, and those hours were spent either on laboring or waiting for it to end. Before that, bed frames have to be disassembled. The two houses both need to be vacuumed or cleaned. It’s just long and tedious work.

In my first year in Canada, I lived on 5 Cedarhurst Drive in Richmond Hill. It was a cozy house with around 2100 sq. ft of area (Basement area not included). It wasn’t until a letter near the end of the school year saying that I couldn’t attend Richmond Hill High School because of the railway boundary (that would have put me in Richmond Green Secondary School). We end up having to move to a house a few streets above Richmond Hill High School. [I won’t say it here, because I don’t want to cause any harm to the owner who’s trying to sell the house due to my remarks] In the summer of 2004, that house costs around $470,000. I remember my parents doing shuttles between the two houses that summer with the SUV. We moved the small stuff so that it would take less time with the big, final move.

In my first year in Canada, I lived on 5 Cedarhurst Drive in Richmond Hill. It was a cozy house with around 2100 sq. ft of area (Basement area not included). It wasn’t until a letter near the end of the school year saying that I couldn’t attend Richmond Hill High School because of the railway boundary (that would have put me in Richmond Green Secondary School). We end up having to move to a house a few streets above Richmond Hill High School. [I won’t say it here, because I don’t want to cause any harm to the owner who’s trying to sell the house due to my remarks] In the summer of 2004, that house costs around $470,000. I remember my parents doing shuttles between the two houses that summer with the SUV. We moved the small stuff so that it would take less time with the big, final move.

Honestly, initially that house was in a terrible shape, there were two spoiled boys. When I was there meeting the seller (the only time, my parents have talked to her several times), there were unflushed toilets, there was a computer in the dining area, and a TV touching the ceiling with the boys playing PS2 on it. Then when we finally had the house, we were really mad at how the seller didn’t even clean up before she left. A man she designated had to do all the work. He never finished them all anyways, we had uncleaned kitchen drawers and cupboard handles with paint worn off. I remember spending an afternoon sanding those handles.

We also had to repaint the deck and remade a rail.

With a bigger house than before (2800 sq. ft), we bought more furniture for the following two years.

I also had a big backyard that I will always love, yet somehow I would often feel sad that I don’t have an outdoor pool. The backyard was so big that my father would take 2 or 3 hours to mow them all, often he ends up dividing it into two sessions. (I had only mowed it twice, sometimes I only got to mow a part)

Still it’s pretty gorgeous and I had a self-photoshoot there. http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=65405&id=506540499&op=18

Then we had a family who wanted a place to stay, so we got the basement finished. They stayed for around 8 months, and when they were gone. The whole basement was so empty I felt like it was haunted.

I once thought of having a pool table down there so the basement can actually be a party floor. But it costs at least $800 for a used one and my father sees no use of it anyways.

Now I find it ironic that I, being the introvert stay home person would miss the house so badly as if I haven’t enjoyed all my moments there, well, my life is like a man in a story I have heard of. The man was so satisfied with everything he has that he feels his life is so boring and pointless. He askes a genie for help to his situation. The genie made all his things vanish: his car, his wife and kids, and all the luxuruious stuff. It wasn’t until then that the man realizes how lucky he was and when he gets all his things back, he starts to enjoy them. I don’t think I am any different from a kid who is at the state of despair in finding his lost toy. People don’t see that some things can disappear and out of our reach so easily. Some things don’t last forever and someday you will part it.

Graduates are going to leave their house and become more dependent themselves. In those years, they will find out how much they have truly missed home.

The house was sold in March 2008 for around $520,000, our house definitely worths more than that with the renovations and time. The owner, a flipper (which I scorn, because I would have never thought he would do this to my old house) did some work and once put an asking price of $574,000 in a recession. I wonder if anyone actually bought it.  

I have always wanted to type up my reflection, I finally did it. I feel kind of relieved.

Pics

Dining Room

2004:  2008:

Washroom

2005: had a wall of mirror in my washroom, and the sinktop was white (not shown here)

 2008:

First Living Room

2004:  2008:

Other Living Room

2004:  2008:

Front