I’m up very late tonight for some odd reason. I’m stumbling upon information about my hometown where I was born and raised (on Wikipedia). This isn’t the first time I’ve done this. Actually several times I start to google info on the history of my hometown, a place I wanted to escape, a place I never wanted to know about. But now the history, the stories, the place, the people fascinate me. It’s not even homesickness. It’s like understanding a part of myself, of where I came from and how it shaped me. I’ve lived there from 1974 until 1999. Then after I got married I lived in much bigger cities like Toronto,Chicago, NY and Los Angeles. I experienced alot of things and travelled a bit. But most of my most fond memories are of my childhood in my hometown. There’s so many things I took for granted. And so many things that were so precious that I’ve frozen them in my mind and idealised them. I guess the main issue in this thread is: can you ever leave a place behind?
Re: Hometowns
whats your hometown?
I don't think you can ever forget the place where you grew up. For me, I'm absolutely in love with the house/neighborhood I grew up in (during my junior high and high school days). Those were the most happiest moments in my life.
Maybe you should visit your hometown to get closure.
Re: Hometowns
i left karachi behind :-)
but i can never leave toronto behind.. but again, there was time i couldnt think of leaving karachi.. not even for studies in a western country :-)
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There’s no place I can call my hometown. I was raised in different cities, depending upon the job transfers of my father around the country. But I remember each and every place. I was never completely attached to one place. So it didnt make much difference for me when I moved out of the country. Because I had been travelling all around.
But yes, I miss Rawalpindi/Islamabad the most because I spend most of my time there, from 10th grade to MBA. I miss the weather there. 
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I left my heart in London :(
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i used to feel the need to go back to my hometown in pk in nwfp but when i finally went to pk after 22 yrs, i didnt get any special feelings at all which i thought i wud.
maybe bcuz the whole place is so different now. all the ppl and places which used to be familiar to me are no longer da same.
but i remember feeling excited when i 1st caught the sight of pk from my plane window :D
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No, i dont think you can ever leave your hometown behind. My first reaction to this thread was that yes you can. When we moved, it was an initial shock to be in such a diff culture. And now when i am all settled here, the criteria by which I judje things and places is still my hometown. Miss teh people, the friends, the beaches, our home, etc. i went back after abt 6 years and the city had changed alot but our home, the school etc looked and remained the same way.
I try my best not to get attached to places now. It sucked big time when we moved :(
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Anil, my hometown is St.Catharines, Ontario, Canada. It's in the Niagara area about an hour from Toronto. I do go back and visit. I used to go every 3 months or so but now it's every 6 months since I have two kids and the flight is too long for them from LA. My parents still live in the same house. My baby brother is there and my other brother is going to move back there next year.
Ira I know what you mean about trying not to get attached to places. But I think there are aspects of every city that have affected me somehow. But there's not one place where I felt I belonged. I was like an extended tourist and then it was time to go.
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I really don't miss any place....until I end up being on an Island again by myself..that time I miss my HOME HOME (my family) other than that I can pretty much adjust myself anywhere. But one thing for sure, I can't live in Pakistan.
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I’ve been living in this house for uhmm 15 years now but i honestly dont feel that much attachment to it. It’d be nice to move but eh.. :hinna:
First six yrs i still lived in the Bronx, 45 minutes away (by train/bus) 
Re: Hometowns
u made me remember Lahore:(
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a common phenomenon - as you grow older and move on with life, you start getting feelings like these - Its not the PLACE that you remember or are trying to associate yourself with - Its the ERA or that segment of your age, experiences and memories. It is something that can never be TURNED AROUND, therefore we start to MISS it.
If you know what I am trying to say.....
Re: Hometowns
awww how sweet 
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:aq:
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i've got 2. and i miss em both...
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I travelled many places as a young child & adult. I miss some places I grew up in, because they were special to me in their own regards. Every place has a special memory attached to it. I was born in Pakistan, moved to Dubai, then Saudi, then London then Toronto, now USA...
If I was to sit and go through memories about each place, I would proabably have a few for each town. The character, the friends, the living experiences of each city are unique. They are those memories that will never fade away. I think everyone must know what I am talking about. But it definitely makes you a unique individual. You bring personal experiences from each place you called "yours" and then you evolve into this new individual over time.
I know that travelling and living in many cities has definitely enriched my life and made my personal life expereinces much more exciting than those who have lived in one place for years.
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Danial, why the confused face?
Diva, cute kitty avatar. I agree that experiencing many cities and cultures can enrich your life. Growing up I used to think I wanted to get out of the suburbs, out of a small town. But now over time and especially since my kids were born, i want nothing more than to have a nice house in the suburbs. I want them to grow up in a quiet, safe neighborhood with good public schools and no traffic. I have become my mother!
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same here. I thought I would feel very nostalgic about Pak going there after 12 years but nothing of the sort happened. somewhere in my heart I was a bit disappointed as I thought I would have had that "I am back home" feeling.
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Awwww, I know how you feel Saima, I would love to move back to the pacific Northwest some day. I drive through St. Catherines twice a month on my way from Rochester to Toronto.
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I think not all people forget the place they are raised and went to school. cause this age has good memories associated to place, people around us.
how ever i cant leave behind my town where i spent my life from 1975 to 1998, actually i love it to be there at any point of my life. shared and own moments spent there are sweet memories. and i will definitely be back there in due time soon for good.
oh they city name is Lahore!
my second home is London! and i have no desire to live in anyother place except short visits. I love these two!