You smell good

In my English language study class, we started off by learning about dialects, accents and language prejudices. A common misconception about accents and language is: "I don't have an accent." Yes, you do. Even us Pacific Northwesterners have an accent despite it's seeming nonexistence. It's easy to believe in this misconception because when you live in the area of your accent, the majority of people living around you also speak with the same dialect. Go to another dialect area and you will hear different accents and find people who believe that you have an accent.

After learning a bit about these ideas about language and stereotypes, I stumbled across an interesting connection: the same principle can be applied to smells.

While all the senses are quite important to me, I can remember thinking about smells from a young age. When my sister and I would cross the street to play at our neighbor's house, I always noticed that their house had a distinct smell. Did my house have a smell? Of course not. But that's because it was my house... my smell. Like an accent, you can't recognize your own smell or house smell because you are always surrounded by it.

In my life, smells are often connected to memories, places, and individuals. When I was in seventh grade I left my favorite sweatshirt at my best friend's house after staying the night. On return, the jacket smelled just like her house. Whenever I would wear it, memories of her, school, the boy I liked and that summer would come flooding back.

Smells are powerful. A facewash can take me to fall sleepover. A man on the bus to Malawi. My friend's shampoo to Mexico. Hand sanitizer to nsima. A lotion to the cd I woke up to everyday that year. People smells. Food smells. Country smells. House smells. Each one lodged in my memory, sometimes forgotten until one sniff sends me tumbling back to the past.

I miss Cambodia smell. Just like I don't think I have an accent, I also never notice the smell of the United States. I'm sure it has one. Cambodia smell is just so much more interesting. Heat people dirt animals flora poverty life market food closeness.

Until I am exposed to brand new and different smells, I often forget that I am breathing.. smelling.. absorbing memories through my nose as I walk.

Breathe in. You smell good to me.