Do you have a place in mind that positively affects you? So many places in the world are important for a lot of people. Some of these places can positively affect people, sometimes negatively.
The place that has positively affected me has a very special place in my heart.
You’re probably wondering, “What made you say that this place has a positive effect on you?” and “Where is this place?”.
I will talk about my home, particularly Las Piñas City in Manila. If you didn’t know, Manila is a very popular place in the Philippines. It’s jam-packed and always crowded.
I would sweat every early morning, trying to get ready for school. It’s always hot, as early as 5:00 o’clock in the morning! Every day, I would stay in my classroom, even though I am always eager to go home because I’m prone to homesickness. Even if I just crossed the street to go to a supermarket to buy groceries, I would be tempted to go back home.
I currently live in Baguio City. As I said earlier, Manila holds a special place in my heart because it’s where all my memories are stored.
In fact, the house is about 43 to 46 years old. Every time I visit my old home, it breaks my heart to see it so damaged. But at the same time, whenever I see the cracked walls and the memories of the sound of my family laughing, it’s a reminder that I loved my childhood well.
Another reason for my house’s positive effect is that it impacts my well-being. My home impacted my behavior and motivation regarding how I act around people. Once, the entire house was cluttered with things because we were reorganizing and redecorating. I couldn’t handle the sight of unorganized things, so I was motivated to spend my day cleaning the house and doing chores to polish the house.
Another time, I helped my friend clean up her room during a sleepover. Of course, I didn’t want to hurt her feelings and tell her that it looked messy. I politely told her I would try my best to help tidy up her room.
My former home had some negative effects on me too. As I said before, I’m prone to being homesick. I’m eager to stay at home 24/7 and prefer staying in. This made me feel so attached and somehow “stuck” whenever I’m not at home. My parents would feel bad for me because they feel I’m being forced to go out whenever they go to the mall, park, playground, or whatever. But that was during school break.
After graduating 6th grade, I had the most challenging time of my life socializing with other students at school. I would feel forced to go to school because I spent most of my life at home and never knew how to talk to others.
Ultimately, I would have problems with my health because I wasn’t physically active. If you were my family member, you would see me sitting on the couch all day watching TV, eating, and sleeping. So it was no surprise to me that I was always tired and felt isolated in some way.
I was constantly stressed out about the smallest things, like the remote not working or simply just trying to stand up to get a glass of cold water. Even when my siblings played with me and watched videos, I still felt strange and alone. But at the same time, I didn’t want to go outside, and I felt too attached to staying at home all the time.
To end, the positive effects of my home are unlimited. Manila is where I grew up and I’ll always remember all the memories I’ve spent there. And sure, there always have been bad times at home, but I won’t forget the good times I spent during my childhood.