The Place Where My Memories Belong
I have gone to many beautiful places in my life. However, whenever I bring to my mind a remarkable, and delightful place, I always think about my hometown which is called Tenza. Tenza is a small town located in the eastern Boyaca providence of Colombia. This town has a population of around 4.112 people the easiest way to get there is by car. Since it is about 3 hours away from Bogota, which is the capital of Colombia. Tenza used to be very well known for all the Crafts that people used to make out of reeds. Most of the crafts made were baskets and hats. Tenza is also an agriculture town. This place has an amazing climate, and the people, the food, the culture, and its huge festivals make Tenza a place where you want to live all your life.
When I was younger, I lived in Tenza for 5 years. I grew up with my grandmother and uncles who took good care of me until I went to college. Most of my family live in Colombia, and those who are more important to me live in Tenza, my hometown. I think that is the main reason why I like this town very much. Since I moved to the U.S, I usually go every six months to visit Tenza. Therefore, whenever I go, I feel like I am home not only because I stay in my grandmother’s house but because most of the people who live there know me, respect me and love me. Tenza is a small town in which everyone knows each other. As a matter of fact, for me to be in Tenza makes me remember those nice days, when I had so much fun playing with my friends and enjoying my family. This was a time, when I did not have to be worried about anything in life; it was all about having fun, and to live life. I wish I could go back in time and be fourteen years old again, and live those memorable moments again.
Tenza has pretty much everything you need to enjoy life. It is very peaceful and joyful. Tenza, like most of the towns in Boyaca, has a lovely Catholic Church in town. The Church is in the middle of the town, it is a sign of holiness, peace, love which welcomes everyone in town. The church is a place where people gather together as family to pray and meet others every weekend. This church from the outside seems big, but inside it is quite small, something very particular in the church is that each of the columns have nice statues which represent each of the villages that surround the town. Another representative thing about this church is an enormous painting of Michael Angelo in which God is giving life to Adam, the first man on earth and the dates when the town was founded. The painting is on the church’s ceiling. I remember that my grandmother used to take me to church every Sunday and she used to teach me the Catholic faith.
Another representative part of the town is the park which is in front of the church. When I was around thirteen years old, I had a passion for ridding bicycles, my friends and I used to go to this park to hang out for hours after school. However, one day we stopped going to this place because at the park’s fountain one kid drowned. From that day on we felt fear and some of my friends started saying that they heard voices and scary noises. Nevertheless, I never experienced such things, but the fact of knowing that someone passed away there made me feel very unsafe. Nowadays, the story of that kid being drowned is almost forgotten, but there are still some people who say that in that park you may feel fear late at night.
Moving out of the park, there is the plaza. This place is probably the most well-known of all the town, because throughout the whole year most of the events and important dates are celebrated in the plaza. Every Saturday, the plaza becomes a grocery store where people from the villages and out of town come to sell and buy fruits and vegetables. The plaza is also the place where every three months we have soccer championships. Another big thing in my town are the festivals, which also take place in the plaza, and are perhaps the biggest source of income of the town. For these festivities, people from all different parts of Colombia and even people from other countries come to have a marvelous time. The plaza, which is usually the place for recreation and business, becomes a huge nightclub hall where thousands of people gather to dance, drink, eat, and show their best crafts which they have made during the whole year. When I lived there, I did not miss a day of these nice events. It is pleasant to see how people put the best effort to win the award for the best crafts. I remember that my grandmother won the competition twice, and when that happened, I recall that in our house we had a celebration for an entire week. Tourists visited my house to take pictures with my grandmother and all the beautiful baskets and hats that she had made. The two times she won the competition has been in Christmas time, when family which lives far away come and stay at my house; what is very surprising is that in one day, I could see many people coming in and out of my house only to see and take pictures of all the craft that my grandmother made with her hands.
Because my grandmother is very talented, my house became very well-known thanks to my grandmother, and her talent making handcrafts was a big thing in town. The city town named my house a colonial house. That means that my house may never change its shape or the way it looks from outside, because it represents the beauty of Tenza and its history. Therefore, it has to remain as it is now for generations to come. I feel very proud about that because for me, that place is my home, a place where I grew up and feel happiness every time I visit. For many people, that place may only be a building or something to admire, but for me it is a nice, warm, lovely place where I go to have the best time of my life with my family. That place is the place where I would like to be every night after a long day of work or studies. My house in Tenza is such a lovely place which always welcomes me and makes me feel special and loved. Tenza is a part of my house and my house is part of Tenza, it is where rejoicing and happiness flourishes. Many people who have visited my hometown have decided to move to live there at some point of their lives, because all the beauty and amazing things that Tenza has to offer. They used to say that you have not really lived until you know Tenza and its people and the way of life.
