(sf ba) alma mater

al·ma ma·ter or Al·ma Ma·ter -- Pronunciation Key (lm mätr, älm) n.

1. The school, college, or university that one has attended.
2. The anthem of an institution of higher learning.

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[From Latin Alma Mter, nourishing mother (epithet of certain goddesses)  : alma, feminine of almus, nourishing; see al-2 in Indo-European Roots + mter, mother; see maternal.]

i have many alma maters (almas mater?), but there's something special about stanford. when people ask me where i'm from, i usually have to pause to think about the question. you'd think that being born and raised for 16 long years in delta, colorado would make that the answer. no, i identify more with boulder, where i spent my senior hs year and freshman year of college than i do with delta or los angeles, where i finished college as a (very young) married woman. but when i visit these places i feel foreign and only vaguely familiar with residual bits from my past. in contrast, every time i visit the bay area, i feel a warm fuzzy comfort. i'm reminded that this, more than any other place, is where i truly grew up. when i'm here, it's like i never left. you can check out any time you like...

i mentioned this to chris and he drew my attention to the latin roots of the word alma mater. the dictionary says "kind mother", but he translated it as "soul mother." i like this idea. the bay area, with its amazing baha'i communities and its various formal and informal instutions like stanford and nasa ames and my favorite taco bell, is my soul mother.

this is where i'm from and i imagine it will always feel like home.