A Little Dose of Reminiscence

In my spare time from dental school, I work as a freelance photographer for real estate agents. Basically, I take pictures of houses that they are selling. I'm not one of those professional photographers who hauls around thousand dollar cameras and nine speedlights. I guess I'm a low-key photographer, armed with only my trusty Nikon D5100 and Photoshop.

Anyhow, the point of this story is that I was taking pictures of a house in Hacienda Heights last week - my childhood hometown. On my way to the property, I managed to drive by not one, but TWO of the elementary schools I attended. 

Los Altos Elementary School- the school I attended from 1st - 2nd grade.

It was a strange feeling, revisiting building blocks from your past. I couldn't help but park my car on the side of the road and snap a few pictures.

Los Molinos Elementary School- the school I attended from 3rd - 4th grade.

Elementary school reunions don't exist. Many of the people who attend elementary school together wind up attending the same high school. But for those who moved to a different city during elementary school, you never get to see these people again. Sometimes I flip through my yearbooks and wonder how my former classmates are doing. Sometimes I wonder where they are living, who they have become, what college they attended, and whether or not they are successful now. What happened to Melissa, the girl who invited me to her 7th birthday party? What happened to Alex, my best guy friend in first grade?

I still find it strange when I drive through the towns where I grew up and have since overgrown. It's like accidentally running into someone you once knew many years ago. I wonder how much of it has changed? How much of it has stayed the same?