Nostalgia: Scents from childhood

@ mirandablue

Recently, I stayed at a friend's ancestral home in Laguna.  The house has been empty for quite a while as most of the family members are living abroad, and those who are in Manila are too busy to make the trip.  A caretaker does the cleaning and the upkeep of the house.  The house, with its echoes, reminded me of my grandmother's house in Negros.  

I stayed in the guest room.  Originally, this was the room of my friend's aunt--a single woman who died in this room from old age.  My friend was probably expecting me get spooked--he didn't realize how I love a little bit of mystery and spookiness.  But I wasn't able to sleep right away on the first night--I kept thinking about an old, frail lady dying on the same bed I was lying on (although the bed doesn't look that old!:p).  And with morbid fascination, I started to conjure images of my own death.

Instead of counting sheep, I decided to explore the room.  This beautiful antique armoire caught my fancy.  The carvings are fine and delicate--a family heirloom, I suppose.  When I opened it, the room was flooded with the scent of napthalene (or moth) balls---the scent from childhood (as my friend would later say, the odor of coffin lining :P).  As we all know, smell evokes memory.  The scent of moth balls comforted me somehow---it triggered memories of crisp blankets and pillow cases, fluffy towels and lacy curtains, of my grandmother's room with her not-so-hidden treasures of chocolates, fancy dresses and coins.

I was still dreaming the next morning when I was called for breakfast.


What scents trigger your childhood memories?

Posted for Nostalgic Marveling