March | Memories

 I sit here looking out my studio window. The gray sky marked with dark gray tree twigs spiking the horizon. Underneath a layer of gray slush. It is as if Winter itself is dying. Leaving the white skies and snow to melt into a muddy mess. That is March in Fargo, ND. But it’s not the way I normally think of March. 

 As a child growing up in the mountains of Indonesia, March was a beautiful month. Green. Vibrant. I remember birthday parties in our back yard, running barefoot through the grove of bannana trees looking for clues to the treasure hunt. My dutch neighbors Mathijs, Marloos, and Niki joined the fun. Sometimes my dad would hide candy in the yard, and we’d spend 1/2 an hour searching through the coffee tree, strawberry patch, and usually found something in the lemon grass bush. Then we’d run to the patio where my mom strung a string full of Krupuk, a sort of crunchy chip. We’d tie our hands behind our backs and try to eat it off the string dangling an inch above our heads. First one to finish got a prize! If we were really lucky mom and dad had found a box of cherios. Treasure!

My 8th birthday was spent visiting friends in Malaysia. I remember mom dunking me 8 times in the pool. I sputtered a lot.

No wonder my folks worried about culture shock when we moved to ND to be closer to my mom’s family. My 9th birthday was cold. Snowy. I had a dress up party, we needed the extra layers of clothing! We played indoor games, like trying to hold a piece of paper on the end of a straw by suction and running down the hall. First one to hit the other wall still holding the paper won an Indonesian candy. My world literally spun half way around and inversed itself.

I often think about Indonesia in March. Those brithday memories full of color and sunshine. I look out my window at the gray world, and remind myself that in only a few weeks this world will have color too. The grass will grow, and I can once again run barefoot in the sunshine.

 My favorite season is on it’s way!!  I’ve learned to enjoy the anticipation that March brings. Life is good!

Kandel Photography | Fargo Wedding Photography