SCARBOROUGH

I have been to many places which on paper should have felt like home, but I always come back to Scarborough. Scarborough has charm, Scarborough has memories, Scarborough has culture, but most importantly Scarborough has a rugged beauty that many people overlook.

For those of you who don’t know, Scarbrough is a suburban town located in Toronto, Ontario Canada. It is home to The Bluffs which overlooks Lake Ontario.

I don’t have much recollection of being ten years old. But I do remember that was the year we moved to Canada. I remember feeling the culture shock deep within my body. The feeling of not belonging, the feeling of shock and utter confusion. “Why in the world are we in this cold dark country?” But alas I grew out of the culture shock as I learned to fit in and assimilate with the kids at school. Life eventually got better for the 10-year-old me. We moved into a tiny place and forced to be crammed with each other. As a kid I hated it, but now I look back and realize that it weirdly created this unique indescribable bond among us.

I remember a 10-year-old me sitting by the rocks at recess reading Harry Potter when a girl with a huge grin on her face approached me and started talking to me. Little did I know that that girl would become my best friend to this day. That day in Scarborough I met my best friend Brintha.

Growing up in Scarborough I slowly started to fall in love with the diversity and character of the place. I realized that there is immense beauty to be found in the mosaic of cultures, whether it is Bengali, Vietnamese, Filipino, Shrylankan, Greek you name it. Being exposed to this helped me grow and fall in love with my own culture and religion.

In Scarborough I witnessed my baby cousins grow up in front of my eyes.

I had my first kiss by the waters. It was all very cinematic. Not going to lie it felt like a Taylor Swift song.

But all good things must come to an end. We decided to end our relationship where it started, by the waters. It was painful but it sure made for some good art in the future!

Time heals all wounds and so does taking a walk in nature. I would walk and walk for two-three hours with my music blasting and camera in hand. This is when I discovered golden hour and that everything ultimately looked better during sunset and sunrise and I became obsessed.

It’s funny, as a teenager I wanted to leave Scarborough so badly and move into the city, and once I did move into Toronto, I realized a huge part of me was missing. Yes, the concrete jungle has its own perks and benefits but I craved those long walks down my neighborhood streets where I leaned on photography to express myself. After 13 years of living in the same place, you slowly start to memorize every nook and cranny of your neighborhood. Here is Scarborough through fall and winter.

The thing about living in the same place for 13 years is that you get heavily attached. Each street corner and landmark is linked to some sort of memory. Some happy, some gut wrenchingly painful.

My dad passed away on November 3, 2020, it all happened within the span of two weeks he had covid and didn't survive it. Every time I walk past this street, it's all I can think of. He is the reason we had the opportunity to move to Canada. He wanted to give us a better life and education, and he did. Our family wouldn't be here if it weren't for the sacrifices he made.

Anyways, that took a rather sad turn, didn't it? Oh here is a funny story. This one time I hopped a fence to catch a view of the cliffs and got fined $800. I’m laughing now, but during that time I remember crying all the way home. It was terrible. Was the view worth $800? Absolutely. Will I do it again? Maybe. (just don't tell the cops)

To sum it up Scarborough was my childhood, it has shaped who I am, its the place I keep coming back to, it's the place I find comfort, it's the place where I meditate. It's a place linked with great joy and earth shattering sadness. It not just a place. It is home. Scarborough, I thank you. Scarborough, we are blessed. Amen.