When I was younger, I was always one to say “Home is where the heart is.” I thought that I could go anywhere in the world and that as long as I was happy I would be okay. But I was wrong. In 2019, I left my hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico to attend my dream school in Denver, Colorado. Although I was only a six-hour drive from home, I quickly realized that although I was happy in my new home, I missed Albuquerque. When I returned for winter break, I realized just how attached a person could be to a city. As soon as I heard the pilot welcoming us to Albuquerque, the butterflies in my stomach could not manage to be calm. The drive from the airport to my house brought me such calmness and I realized just how homesick I had been for the past 11 weeks. Albuquerque may not seem like much to many people, but for me it means everything. From driving around with my friends, enjoying a Blakes breakfast burrito with a large Dr. Pepper, and even just going on walks on the Sandias, Albuquerque is the place where I feel at home.

I have lived in Albuquerque since I was around 5 years old. Naturally, I have become very familiar with the city. Whenever I’m feeling down, I know a drive can always make me feel better. There’s nothing like driving down Coors Road during the sunset and watching the beautiful mountains turn red. Coors is the longest road in Albuquerque, and if you drive up you get a perfect view of the river and the mountains. The only thing that can make any drive better is some good company. My friends and I love driving around, usually, we’ll stop when we find a place to eat. Sometimes, we just start driving with no specific place in mind and just wander the city. A place is made up of the friendships you have there, and I’m lucky to have some amazing friends in Albuquerque. 

Albuquerque also has great food, and that’s another reason to love it. When I first moved to Colorado, everyone kept talking about how great the green chile was here. Coming from New Mexico I had very high expectations, and they were not met at all. My friends and I like to joke that the chile here “tastes like chile, but it’s not spicy.” My favorite meal back home is a Blakes breakfast burrito with extra green sauce. By the time I’m done, I have a full belly and a runny nose. Green chile season in Albuquerque makes me feel a certain type of peace. Going to the local grocery stores and smelling the roasted green chile as soon as you exit your car is an amazing thing. New Mexicans put green chile on everything, and I love that.  There’s no better comfort food for me than some green chile. 

In addition to the food and city life in Albuquerque, I also love how close to nature the city is. With beautiful hiking trails such as the petroglyphs and the Sandia Crest, Albuquerque is the perfect place for any nature lover. I’ve never been one for hikes, but the view you get from the top of the Sandias is so breathtaking the 5-hour hike is worth it. Considering you can also drive up, going up there is accessible for anyone. This summer, my boyfriend took me to the Sandia’s to watch a meteor shower and it was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. On one side, I could see the entire city, but on the other side, the dark sky was filled with thousands of stars. 

The sad thing is I never really appreciated Albuquerque until I left. When I first got to college, I was homesick for even the smallest things. My first quarter here was the hardest, but it always helped to know how proud I was making my family by being here. I miss Albuquerque dearly, and every time I visit I know to enjoy it to the max. Nothing can make you appreciate home more than leaving it. So next month when I go home for winter break, I will make sure to take everything in and eat a lot of burritos.