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Published: June 29th 2010
As I relax on the side deck of the house I grew up in in Madison, Wisconsin, I am struck by how surreal the scene in front of me is. The soothing babble of the streams and waterfalls that meander along the side of the house provide a soundtrack for the lush green leaves of the forest behind the house and the beautiful flora and fauna artfully growing around the property. Yes, you are right- this was the most wonderful place in the world to have grown up.
Before I wax on about all the wonderful aspects of a childhood in Wisconsin, let me explain why I'm here. After five wonderful months working for Our Chinese Daughters Foundation as the Director of Academic Programs, OCDF and I graciously parted ways. It seems that not even China is safe from the economic recession. Although losing a job that took 18 months to find felt like a bit of a step backwards, I knew that even better opportunities were awaiting me in the city I have grown to love so dearly. I was right. In the span of six weeks, I had eight interviews and ultimately accepted a position with X-nth, an
international engineering consulting firm, as the head of the newly created marketing department. This was in no small part due to my uncle, an engineering professor at the University of Wisconsin, who introduced me to the CEO of the company, a fellow UW alumnus. In China, as in nearly every country in the world, networking will get you everywhere you want to go.
As I was not due to report for duty until mid-July, the time seemed ripe to jump on a plane (okay, and buy a ticket) back to the good old USA for family bonding, catching up with old friends, and corn on the cob. The timing could not have been better, since my parents had recently informed me of their decision to sell the house my brother and I'd grown up in and move to their Arizona home full-time. Being the nostalgic person I am, I was eager to see my old house one last time and say goodbye to the neighborhood where I'd become.....me.
Brain full of memories, I stepped off the plane onto American soil and into the arms of my waiting parents..and Nick, the dog, too. As we drove into the neighborhood,
my parents attempted to prepare me for the changes that had already been wrought on the house in the six months since I'd last laid eyes on it. Stepping inside, I gaped at the furniture- or lack thereof. "You've been robbed!" I exclaimed, whirling around in a frenzy to find the phone and call the police. My parents looked at each other and chuckled. "Oh, Merritt, you always were the dramatic one," my mom said, shaking her head ruefully. Apparently, they had not been robbed, but had merely stowed most of their furniture at the neighbors' in order to more appropriately stage the house for showings. I'm sure the neighbors were
thrilled each time the doorbell rang and they were confronted with a sheepish grin and one of my parents brandishing another piece of heavy furniture.
The morning after my arrival, I was roused at 7:30 AM (8:30 PM Beijing time) by a wet nose and a furiously wagging tail. Seems the little pit bull thought it was time for me to get up. I gave him a
yeah, right pat on the head and prepare to rejoin the land of the dreaming. Nope. Soon,
Moosealone and Me
Walking through the forest, you may encounter this moose made of recycled car partstwo parental units barged into my room and announced the fun itinerary for the day- we were going to paint my brother's kitchen at his newly purchased house! Oh, joy. Well, coming back to Madison was about spending time with family, so if that was how how I could do it, so be it. I borrowed some painting clothes, Nick sailed into the backseat of the car with a running leap, and we made the 25-minute journey to the east side of the city.
After knocking on the door and receiving no answer, we let ourselves into Reid's house. He ambled into the kitchen, carrying a cereal bowl and juice glass. "Hey." He nods in my direction. "REEEEEEEEIDY!!" I enthusiastically shout and give him a big hug. Hmmm. Seems someone wasn't quite awake yet.
Four hours later, I had no idea what was going on. The paint fumes, coupled with my increasingly apparent jetlag, had combined to render me basically useless. I set down my paintbrush and flopped onto the sofa, where I was immediately sat upon by Chairman Meow and Dustmite, Reid's two cats. Perfect. I'm too tired to shoo them away, so I lay in a
daze, dreaming of potato salad, corn on the cob, and perfectly grilled soy brats.
After a few days, I was over the jetlag and able to enjoy the frighteningly clean air. I had to laugh, though, when the weatherman on the news warned Madisonians of a potentially high air quality index. Clearly, the man had never been to Beijing.
Now that my mind (and lungs) are clear, I'm able to enjoy the best of the Wisconsin summer. Saturday mornings are spent at the farmers' market downtown, savoring fresh, organic fruits and vegetables, homemade cinnamon rolls, and spicy cheese bread. Friday nights we go to the second-run movie theater and enjoy a nutritious dinner of cinema popcorn. There is time for a lunch and visit with my grandmother each week. I've also had time to reconnect with old roommates and friends still living in the area. It's good to be back, but I have been surprised to realize that Madison no longer feels like "home" in my mind.
Reliving the memories and being in this house one last time has been both wonderful and sad. Selling the house signifies the end of the time the four of us-
Mom, Dad, and kids- lived together under one roof. I think that has been difficult for all of us to come to terms with. The memories of my childhood come back to me at unexpected times. Standing at the top of the driveway facing the house, I remember racing up and down the driveway with my brother on our leg-powered mini-bikes. The driveway would be covered in childish renditions of chalk roadways and we would thrill our grandmothers by racing down the driveway full-speed and coming to a screeching halt just before crashing into the back of the garage.
Sitting reading in my room, I catch a glimpse of my closet and relive the days when I convinced my younger brother it was an elevator, and that each floor of the house looked
exactly the same . Just being in that room reminds me of the years Reid and I shared the room, our twin beds at the perfect angle to jump across the hot lava that was boiling around the bedposts. Naturally, this only occurred at night, so we came up with the perfect code words to alert one another when a parental unit was coming and
Nick and Me
My parents' dog, Nick we had to jump back to our respective beds and pretend to be asleep.
The vaulted ceiling in the living room provided the perfect acoustic space for the hundreds of hours I spent practicing the piano in middle and high school, preparing for various local and state competitions. I am proud to reveal I was the Wisconsin state piano champion not once, but twice. And I will never forget the best gift I have ever received, which arrived one morning my freshman year of high school- a glossy black grand piano, spanning six feet and three inches. To this day, I cannot believe that piano is mine.
Walking into the garage, I am taken back to the summers of my youth, which were spent crisscrossing the country in the backseat of our trusty van. We visited nearly every US state, including Alaska. Of course, when tiredness led to whining, Mom and Dad had a secret weapon- a portable TV/VCR that worked by plugging it into the cigarette lighter.
Living in this house, Reid and I experienced our first true grief- the loss of our beloved standard poodle, Leo. We also experienced the joys of raising a new
puppy. McKinley was with us until I was 23 years old. It's amazing how pets become part of the family- a phenomenon that has recently caught on in China.
Most of the neighborhood parents I knew as a child are still living here- unusual for this era. The yards I played flashlight tag and hide-and-seek in look exactly the same. In fact, the neighborhood, and Madison in general, seem to be unchanged by all the years gone past. Instead, it is I who have changed. I am ready for new adventures and now I understand that my parents are, too. I am proud to be from Wisconsin and believe that growing up in the Midwest provided lessons in civility, morals, and conduct unlike anywhere else in the United States. I'm glad to know I can always come back to visit. But, for now, this is goodbye.
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