Maya Rubin

University of Kansas 

Marketing with a minor in political science 

Nostalgia presents itself in a unique form to each and every individual. It comes in waves; a song, a scent, a touch. But for me, the fondest memories are laced within the twists and turns of the familiar Kirkwood roads. 

I’ve lived in Kirkwood my entire life, in the same house surrounded by the same neighbors. I stop at the same On The Run for gas every two weeks, and take the same route to and from school. I know the drive home like the back of my hand. From the corner of Harrison and Wilson where my best friend and I had our first lemonade stand, to the jagged sidewalk of Peeke Avenue where my friends and I rode our bikes every day of quarantine; each turn, stop, and pothole never fails to cause me to reminisce. 

Nostalgia is a funny thing. Although the memories associated with songs, scents and touches are typically happy, the emotion evoked is more dull; a sad, longing feeling, to go back to a past time and re-experience a specific era of life once more. Perhaps that’s all it represents; a reminder of simpler times, a sense of familiarity and comfort. It’s scary to think that in a short couple of months, that familiarity will be ripped away as I immerse myself into a new place with different people and unfamiliar surroundings. They say home is where the heart is, and as cliché as it sounds, this couldn’t be more accurate. The places we grew up matter, the experiences we go through shape who we are. And as terrifying as starting over in a new place sounds, the same cycle will begin again. The foreign territory will become familiar, new meaningful relationships will be created, and the once unfamiliar roads will become memorized with ease. 

So thank you Sugar Creek road for the late night drives with the windows down, thank you Evans avenue for the countless walks with my dog, Peeke avenue for being where I took the training wheels off my bike for the first time and ​​North Geyer for the first-day of school walks to Keysor. Thank you Kirkwood for being the place I get to call home.