轉眼間，在佛利蒙已經住三年了。2021年三月搬家時，有一絲倉惶狼狽的味道，一來因為媽媽剛過世，聖利安卓的公寓總是讓我想起她走的前幾天，我在等下一班飛機回台灣時的五內俱焚、痛不欲生，潛意識裡希望儘快逃離那個壓抑的房間；二來當時的房價利率雙漲，我們決定速戰速決，先找個各方面都合適的地方搬過去，接下來就且行且看且從容。很幸運地，三年後，我對佛利蒙的喜愛遠遠超出我的預期。
我在台灣一個熙來攘往的城市長大，習慣了四通八達的大眾運輸、隨處可見的便利商店和小吃店、熱鬧繁華的夜生活。在台灣，我在家裡大多是看書或從事一些靜態活動，因為想做其他事情出門很方便。身為郊區的佛利蒙，沒有台中的車水馬龍、萬家燈火，和總是讓我懷念無比的便利，但是我們有寬敞的空間和親切和善的鄰居。搬來佛利蒙之後，Steve 在我們的前後院都傾注了大量的心力，種植了許多抗乾旱的植物、蔬菜、香料和水果。我對園藝一竅不通，還有把生命力強韌的羅勒種死過的黑歷史，但是偶爾在院子裡幫他打打下手，總是新鮮有趣。作物成熟時，我們還能享受現採的新鮮蔬果，是以前從來沒有過的福利。我擁有了這輩子最大的廚房，所以每當我們有過剩的當季蔬果時，我總是挖空心思地把它們製成各色的果醬和甜點，和朋友們分享我們辛苦的果實。廚房也成為了我的實驗室，閒暇時，我喜歡嘗試做新的菜餚和點心，三年來，不敢說廚藝突飛猛進，但多樣性確實大幅提升，我也從分享中得到許多喜悅。（這大概是我作為化學家的最後一點痕跡了。）對於工作忙碌的我們來說，在家裏能把自己從工作中抽離，把心思傾注在我們享受的事情上，是一件療癒又幸福的事。
位於東灣的佛利蒙，為我喜歡的各種戶外活動提供了便利。距離家裡走路十五分鐘就有一個攀岩場，現在我一個禮拜平均泡在那裡近十個小時。因為有了持續的練習， 我在攀岩方面不斷進步、屢屢突破自己的極限。我認識了許多朋友，也因此有機會進入戶外攀岩的世界，留下了許多難忘又珍貴的經歷。我們距離東灣的許多登山步道也很近，比方說，灣區最陡峭的使命峰只有十分鐘車程。以前爬使命峰，加上車程至少都要大半天；現在我們如果在步道早上一開放就開始爬山，九點半點之前就可以回家洗澡吃早餐，還有一整天的大好時光。過去三年，我們爬使命峰的次數，是在灣區的前八年的兩倍多。從佛利蒙離開灣區去太浩湖、優勝美地，或是內華達山脈的任何地方，都比以前在史丹佛時方便許多，再也不需為灣區橋樑上壅塞的交通所苦，露營和各種戶外活動都變得更方便了。
隨著年歲漸長，生活中心逐漸轉移，我越來越喜歡佛利蒙提供的一切。雖然通勤到舊金山和福斯特市工作十分痛苦，但是我喜歡我們在佛利蒙的空間、佛利蒙的社群（攀岩場居功厥偉）、佛利蒙與大自然的近距離。三年來，隨著越來越多朋友也搬到佛利蒙安家，我那顆習於漂泊的心似乎慢慢安定下來了。前半生我不斷地搬家，或許有一天，佛利蒙也會像台中一樣，讓我完完全全地感受到「此心安處是吾鄉」。希望接下來的每一年都會越來越好。
It’s hard to believe that I have already lived in Fremont for 3 years. When we moved to Fremont in March 2021, I felt like I was in a bit of a rush. First of all, my mom just passed away. The apartment in San Leandro kept reminding me of my despair and misery while I was waiting for the next flight back to Taiwan during the few days leading up to her passing. After I came back to the US, a part of me always wanted to escape from my depressing room. Secondly, the housing prices and interest rates started to pick up, so we wanted to move quickly. We decided to move to a place that met our top few requirements as soon as possible and figure out the rest later. Fortunately, three years later, I have been enjoying Fremont much more than I expected.
Growing up in a bustling city in Taiwan, I am used to convenient public transit that can get me anywhere, neighborhoods packed with stores and restaurants, and a lively nightlife. In Taiwan, I usually just read or engage in low-key activities at home because it is so convenient to go out if I ever want to do anything else. Fremont is a suburb and doesn’t have the bustle, nightlife, and convenience of Taichung that I always miss. However, it offers more space and kind neighbors. After we moved to Fremont, Steve has been putting a lot of effort into our yards, growing drought-resistant plants, vegetables, herbs, and fruits. I know very little about gardening and have the embarrassing record of killing supposedly tough basils, but I always have fun when I occasionally help him out in our yards. When our crops ripen, we can enjoy freshly picked fruits and vegetables, a perk we didn’t use to have. In addition, I now have the largest kitchen I have ever had in my life. Therefore, whenever we have surplus seasonal fruits or vegetables, I always rack my brain and turn them into various jams or desserts to share with my friends. My kitchen has also turned into my lab, where I try to experiment with new dishes and desserts whenever possible. (This is perhaps the last bit of trace of me as a chemist.) Over the past three years, I can’t say my culinary skills have improved significantly, but the catalog of what I can make has expanded remarkably, and I have gained a lot of joy from sharing what I made with my friends. We have been spending a lot of time on our careers in the past few years, and it is very therapeutic to detach ourselves from work and focus on doing the things we enjoy at home.
Fremont also provides easy access to the beautiful California outdoors and all kinds of activities I love. There is a rock climbing gym, The Peak of Fremont, within a 15-minute walking distance, and I spend almost 10 hours a week there now. Since it is so convenient to climb at the Peak, I have been making consistent progress, and I am now climbing better than I ever did. I made a lot of friends at the Peak. They introduced me to outdoor rock climbing, and the climbing trips I went with them were among the coolest experiences in my life. We are also close to many hiking trails in the East Bay. For example, Mission Peak, one of the steepest hikes in the Bay Area, is only 10 minutes away. Before we moved to Fremont, hiking Mission Peak always felt like an all-day endeavor with the driving. Now if we start the hike when the trail opens, we can be home for a shower and breakfast before 9:30 am, and there is still a whole day ahead of us. In the past 3 years, we have hiked Mission Peak more than twice as many times as we did in the previous 8 years combined. Compared to the other places I lived in before, it is also much easier to leave the Bay and get to Tahoe, Yosemite, and the Sierras from Fremont, making it more convenient for me to go camping or do other outdoor activities I enjoy.
As I get older and the focus of my life shifts, I become more and more fond of everything Fremont has to offer. Although commuting to Foster City and San Francisco for work is quite painful, I love the space we have in Fremont, the community in Fremont (The Peak plays a HUGE part), and Fremont’s proximity to nature. Over the past 3 years, as more and more friends moved to Fremont, my wandering heart seemed to settle down a little more. I have gotten used to moving around in the past 20 years, but maybe one day, Fremont will start to feel like Taichung, because home is where the heart is. Thank you Fremont — hope it’s only going to get better from here.