The following is an environmental autobiography. The discussion is on how growing up in different cities impacted the choice of career I made.
Having been born in Yangzhou, which is a town city located in China. Growing in Yangzhou gave me a thrill and a tremendous sense of belonging. I nostalgically remember running after butterflies and striving to catch them. The morning breezes were always there, and I could rise early in the morning to catch the breeze. The outdoor environment was still great, and there was no fear of security, which is one of Yangzhou’s greatest attributes.
Various poets have praised the city, and it boasts of having ancient architecture, which was very exciting. I never thought that old structures could be that magnificent. It stirred a deep desire in me to know more about how to construct such beautiful buildings. The city was incredibly beautiful during autumn. The memory of snow on top of the buildings still lingers in my mind. Spring was even hilarious, with the flowers blooming and painting the surroundings with a yellow touch.
This continued until the age of six years when my parents moved to Shenzhen City in China. This was a completely new environment to me; although much of the norms and customs of the people were similar to those of Shenzhen, the architecture and general appearance of the city was strange to me. It was made up of skyscrapers’, and I had been used to small condominiums in the previous town.
The humanistic aspect of life in this city was even more astounding, with people working hard and being less concerned with the affairs of others. Everyone was a stranger to one another; in fact, people in this city had come from various places and were, therefore, were unfamiliar. There was no strong sense of community compared to the previous town where I had lived. I think this stirred in me the individualistic self me.
Though I initially loathed this city, the magnificence of the skyscrapers and the fact that the town had been modernized within a person of thirty years made me fall to become an architect. How can a village be transformed to be a city? I would wonder. Apart from the tall buildings, Shenzhen had a beach where our family would hang out. I nostalgically remember how we used to walk with my parents along the coast. This was a spectacular scene, and I loved it.
My pleasure of seeing the sea in Shenzhen was not going to be eternal. I had to move to New Zealand for my high school. It was stunning to be in a new place, but for the first time, the change of environment had a mental effect on me. However, the city was evidently cleaner and modern than the previous towns, which I had lived. It was surrounded by spectacular sea, the beaches looked nice, and the building was even taller than those of Shenzhen were.
However, the fact that I was unable to communicate clearly in English made my stay in New Zealand dull. I could hear the teacher gesticulating words I could not understand, and some of my classmates would not communicate to me coherently.
It was until I saw a beautiful rainbow that I recognized that my fortunes would change for the better. In our native country rainbow is usually associated with good luck. I knew I was going to be lucky. I became familiar with other students from the Diasporas who came from China, India, Europe, and Africa. This exposed me to many foreign people who had different beliefs and customs. Nevertheless, I learned to appreciate diversity. Unknowingly, my English had also improved dramatically, and I was able to communicate more clearly than before in English.
I longed to be through with High School. The management was usually strict and did not allow us out of the dormitories after nine. I remember nostalgically how excited I was when I finished high school; I felt like I have been relieved from a yoke. Little did I know I would soon miss my friends, teachers, and the beautiful beaches of New Zealand?
After a successful application, I was admitted to the University of New York. I was awfully disappointed by how I found New York. Ironically, I am usually disappointed by every city I move to at first, then I later fall in love with it, the way I did in Auckland, New Zealand. For New York, I think I had many expectations, which is why I was disappointed at first. I could not come to terms with having rats running in the subways. The last time I had seen a rat was in Yangzhou, the village city where I grew up.
The streets of New York were boisterous compared to other cities where I had lived. The dilapidated houses in Brooklyn were disappointing scenarios, which I had to come to terms with. However, the beauty of the city would be noticed. I remember admiring the tall skyscrapers in Manhattan. How shopping in Manhattan was beautiful, visiting the American Stock exchange was undoubtedly unforgettable, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Carnegie House, is some of the buildings, which confirmed that I was designed to do architecture. I thereby settled to pursue interior architecture to fulfill the childhood dream of becoming an architect.
My exposure to both outdoor and indoor makes me think that exposure to both outdoor and indoor is essential. For instance, my stay in boarding school meant that I was not exposed to the outdoor. This was good for concentration, especially when one is doing something, which requires no interruption. However, I personally associate outdoor with freedom and indoors with confinement. I usually feel independent when outside than when I am indoors.
No wonder I was excited when I saw a rainbow when I was in New Zealand. I could not have seen the sign of good fortune if I was indoors. That is why, as I pursue interior architecture, my aim is to see more houses and building which create an outdoor environment inside the building.
Some of the symbols, which are meaningful to me because of the outdoor environment, are beaches and parks, which I associate with relaxing. Others are dorms and unventilated houses, which I associate with confinement. Not to forget rainbow, which I associate with luck to imply that confining me in a building makes me feel that I have lost my freedom even though that is not true, whereas when I am outside, I think that I am free, which also might not be true.
This soul searching has certainly made me aware that I am inclined to prefer the outdoors than prefer an indoor environment. In conclusion, there is a relation between the surrounding we grow in, how they affect personal pursuits and desires. Without ever grown in a city, I probably would not have become enthusiastic about buildings. City life certainly influenced my decision to become architecture. Exposure to the outdoor environment is thereby of critical influence in one’s life.