If you asked me to describe home, I probably wouldn’t describe the town I grew up in. I was born and raised in a town of 10,000 people, and I don’t feel enough of a connection to call that place my home. Don’t get me wrong, I grew up in a great community. I am so thankful that my parents gave me the opportunity to grow up in such a pleasant, comforting environment, where I had the ability to run around without them worrying about anything. Nevertheless, as I grew older, and as I learned about everything else that the world had to offer, I realized that this “small town” wasn’t going to cut it for me.
This past summer, I traveled to New York City for the first time. I definitely looked like a kid on Christmas morning walking down the streets of Manhattan. I finally felt like I belonged there. New York City was the place for me, and I realized that a tiny town in Southeast Michigan wasn’t going to be my home forever.
In New York, there were people everywhere. In my hometown, I can walk down the street, turn right, turn left, and then make another right and MAYBE run into somebody. In New York, there was always something going on. At home, I can sit for hours on end before one of my friends will text me asking to hangout. In New York, I never ate at the same restaurant more than once. At home, all my friends know that the only place to find me is at the local Italian restaurant.
With all of these comparisons, I think it comes down to a place that describes me as a person. Growing up in a small town just isn’t enough for someone who feeds off of others’ energy and describes herself as a go-getter. I’m convinced that growing up in a small town shaped this state of mind, however. My small town reminds me that there is so much more to the world than I saw as a young kid. It reminds me that my ambition does not stop at the city limits of a town in Southeast Michigan.
Luckily for me, I have found my way out of the small town. I now find myself in a city, the best city in Michigan if you ask me. I am thankful that I have the opportunity to go to school in a place like Ann Arbor. The hustle and bustle of all the students, the cute and quirky restaurants on Main Street, and the constant social schedule remind me a bit of New York City and give me a glimpse of the life I hope to live in the years after college.
Image courtesy of: https://www.favrify.com/new-york-skyline/.