Remembering Metcalfe Street.

Well, this is not an example of well composed photo for sure; There is an inappropriate window grid that blocks the view and the reflection of stairs is appearing on the photo like a ghost. Moreover, there is no unique subject that particularly stands out within the frame, other than this plain view of the Metcalfe street and some building around it.

However, this is the photo that I can simply stare at it for hours and unconsciously revisit my piles of memories, including those thoughts and feelings that I had at the time. If I may use a cliche to describe it, I could literally feel 'A rush of blood to the head'. What make this ordinary picture special for me is, not what I see from it, but how my feelings are attached the space and the scene. An articulated perception.

The Metcalfe Street has been my home for the past four years; during the period of the arrival to Canada until the last summer- the high school graduation. It was also the street that I could see from my window  day and night and walked through spring to winter. 

The earliest memory of the street is when I just arrived in the city and visited the Museum of Natural Science with my mom and sister. From that point: There were times my mom used to drive me back home from a baseball game, and as she drived I could feel the spring breeze through my hand hanging out of the window and see the late- summer sun that is about to set. There was time when Metcalfe Street became pseudo- Elgin Street and took over all the traffic, when Obama first visited Ottawa as a new president elect. There was time I used to walk on the street with the girl that I liked; Who would've known that a simple walk could be such a nervous-breaking, an unforgettable experience.  There were times I used to walk around in the midnight, with my camera strap on my shoulder, exploring the empty city. Walking on a street with no presence of automobiles, humans, and noises have been one of my favourite experiences and looking at this photo always remind me of that. There were times I used to walk back as late as 2am from the uOttawa library to home and woke up at 6am to go to band practices. Looking at the piece of Parliament building every morning always reminded me where I live.

Even though I'll eventually visit Ottawa again in the future, but it's hard to tell whether it's going to be feel the same as I left. Regardless, this is the street that I can recall my high school years and think about my confused adolescent times.