Hometown

少小離家老大回，鄉音無改鬢毛催。
兒童相見不相識，笑問客從何處來。
I am from Taiwan and lived in Pingtung the southern Taiwan the longest, therefore I consider it as my hometown. We moved to Pingtong since 5th grade. Before that we used to live in Hualien and Kaohsiung.
After graduated from high school I went to Taipei where is the northern Taiwan for one year of cram school. I know Taiwan is not that big, so southern and northern was not too far from each other. To me that was my way of running away from my home and my past. Not that I had a terrible past but I just want to get away from my old self. To be free and independent. But in the other side of me, I was so longing that there will be someone to love, protect and cherish me. There I met my first boyfriend. One year later I took the college entrance exam and stayed in Taipei for college and my boyfriend then went to school Taichung in central Taiwan. Long distance love didn't last long, he broke up with me after.
After I graduated from college, I then met my ex-husband at my first job. We dated for three or four I thought I was too old to be single and I didn't think I could have another couple years to find another partner so we married. Yes, that kind of person if you don't say no to me then I will never say no to you. Before we decided to get married, I moved back to my hometown for a decent job. Another long distance love, but this time I had a chance to transfer to my company's branch in Taipei. From there we stayed for one or two years, then my ex decided that we should go back to school and study abroad. That was then 1994 and how I came to America. Yes, again, I am that kind of person won't move until I was forced to. We were married you understood!
We stayed in New Jersey for four years. After I graduated from graduate school and found a job, but only worked for couples of months, then moved to the west coast in 1998 where we lived until now. In California I changed three jobs. I consider California as my second hometown now I have been living here longer than in Pingtong. In 1999 we bought the house that we lived in now and that's also the when the price of the house start to hike.
In 2005 I the one yes filed divorce. The beginning of a real independent woman with two little kids. By the way the kids' dad went back to Taiwan in 1997. Another won't last long, long distance relationship!
I missed my mom, my sister and my niece dearly. I don't know that I would ever go back to Taiwan again! I still remembered when I moved from Pingtung to Taipei after married my mom said to me now I felt that you were married and left home for real that made me tearing down.