Embracing changing landscapes

One question I have always been asked is, “Where are you from?”

I have heard this question more in my first year of college than ever before. For most, this is a simple question with a one-word answer. However, for me, it rings a little differently.

I usually answer, “Phoenix,” for time’s sake. Yet, an unsatisfied half-smile always lingers on my face when the word leaves my mouth. I spent my high school years in Phoenix, but it is not my “home” — it is not who I am.

I have lived in three states and four countries. Being raised in a military family, I have moved nine times in my 20 years of life. I cannot define myself by a single place.

I am a mixture of landscapes, cultures and experiences; a blend of all my nine homes.

As much as I would love to describe each home, it would take a great deal of time, so I’ll recount two which were paramount in creating who I am now: Washington state and Europe.

One week after my seventh birthday, my family moved to Olympia — the capital of Washington. Coming from San Antonio, Texas, I had never experienced so much nature right outside my house. Luscious pine trees loomed over every street corner. Chipmunks, red foxes, rabbits and deer constantly greeted me on walks. In the distance, Mount Rainier stood tall behind our house, its white, icy peak snuggled in a blanket of greenery.

An hour away from Olympia is Seattle, the largest city in Washington. Its famous attractions include the 605-foottall Space Needle and Pike Place Market.

Pike Place Market is the largest continuous farmer’s market in the country. It is a colorful and bustling market with over 220 independently owned shops and restaurants.

I have many memories of the market, however, they are all tainted by the overwhelming odor of fish.

Numerous fish stands in Pike Place, including the famous 93-year-old Pike Place Fish Market, embody the coastal culture of Washington. With fish-throwing workers and vibrant displays of sea and freshwater creatures, the markets are breathtaking to fish enthusiasts. For fish haters like me, on the other hand, they are a nightmare. To this day, I cannot stand the smell of fish and I will always credit the Pike Place fish stands as the reason.

While Seattle had a life of its own, my fondest memories reside in the nature of Washington.

My family would often visit Mount Rainier National Park, the home to the tallest mountain in the state with 25 named glaciers. Locals and tourists always flocked to the mountain on beautiful days, but with hundreds of recreational trails, it never felt crowded.

In summers on Mount Rainier, we hiked through grassy fields painted purple and red by the blooming wildflowers. During winters, we bundled in our snow gear and sledded down the mountain slopes joining in the laughter of many families.

On other adventures, we canoed on the Puget Sound — an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, camped in Olympic National Park and toured Mount St. Helens.

My passion for the outdoors began in Washington. It is why I desire to constantly hike mountains, swim in icy waters and camp under treetops, all desires I pursued by coming to northern Arizona.

I enjoyed my life in the state for three years before I started my next adventure.

After I turned 10, my family moved to Belgium, the land of beer, waffles and chocolate. When I tell people about Belgium, they tend to follow up with, “Where in Germany is that?” It never fails to make me laugh but to be fair, I did not know about the country until it became one of my homes.

I like to describe Belgium as a quiet country compared to its touristy neighbors — except when it is FIFA World Cup season, whereas the screaming of Belgian Red Devil fans echoes throughout the streets and in every house.

The country is covered with rolling hills that stretch for miles and it is constantly wet and cloudy, with an average of 200 days of rainfall a year.

I believe the heart of Belgium lies in its historic cities, with their elaborate stone and brick buildings and cobblestone streets that are rarely overcrowded with tourists.

Christmas in the cities is extra special.

My family lived nearest to Brussels, the Belgium capital. One of the main attractions of Brussels is the Grand-Place the city’s central square. During the Christmas season, purple and blue lights illuminated 400-year-old stone buildings in the square.

In Bruges, a city only an hour from Brussels, an ice sculpture festival was held every year during winter. Countless magnificent, chilling sculptures commemorated an important cultural event of the year. For my first year, 2013, the festival was based on the popular release of the movie “Frozen.” The second year celebrated the finishing of “The Hobbit” trilogy and included an enormous ice sculpture of the dragon Smaug.

My family spent school breaks exploring other European countries such as Switzerland, Italy, Greece and the Netherlands. Before moving back to the United States, I also had the opportunity to briefly live in England and Italy.

I was engulfed in an array of cultures. I became fond of hearing four different languages around me as I ate pastries at a cafe. I loved grabbing gelato every time I went out in Italy and ordering a whole pizza to shamelessly eat alone. Joy filled my heart each time the Belgian team scored a goal in the FIFA World Cup and boisterous chanting instantly overtook the town.

I miss visiting museums and castles, swimming in the Mediterranean Sea, trekking through the Alps and getting my breath taken away by vibrant, beautiful tulips in the Netherlands.

Europe is the reason I will never be able to sit still. People tell me I have traveled the world, but I know I’ve barely seen anything. I have only been to two of seven continents; there is so much life and culture I have yet to experience.

This longing for adventure is what drives me to pursue my degrees in photography and journalism with the hope to eventually spend my life traveling the globe and capturing the beauty of the people on it.

Phoenix is special to me, but it is not who I am. When someone asks where I’m from, I wish I could express everything I just wrote, and more, in a single word with pride and excitement. I have not yet figured out how to, but one day I will.