If I were to have a conversation with my middle school self, she’d be very confused as to why I am not at a school in New York City like NYU or Pace. She’d be even more confused about how I ended up at a small college in an almost middle-of-nowhere town in western New York.
I’m from a small town in Orange County, New York. Growing up an hour and a half outside of New York City, I always looked forward to trips there. I loved how busy and fast-paced everything was and thought that even though I loved my home, I wanted to live in the city someday. By the time I got to middle school, I wanted to go to college in a big city. I was tired of my hometown and how little there was to do. I felt that I would enjoy a big city more and that it would be way more fun than living in the suburbs.
As I got older, I realized that the city life maybe wasn’t for me. I still enjoyed my city trips, but it wasn’t a place where I wanted to live forever. Although it’s a train ride away from where I live, the city didn’t feel like home to me. Sure, I loved the fast-paced environment and how there’s something to do everywhere, but I still longed for a slow-paced life where I could do things like listen to the birds chirping in the morning or visit a nature trail fifteen minutes from my house. These are things I can’t necessarily do all the time in a big city.
I used to hate living in a small town, but now that I am away at college, I miss it way more than I had expected. I miss the ice cream stand down the road from my house and my family’s favorite restaurants. I even miss the local Stop & Shop where I always manage to run into someone from school; walking in there feels like I’m at my high school reunion. These random places hold so much meaning to me and have been a big part of my childhood. Everyone kind of knew each other and would step up to help other families when they needed it. This close-knit community made it feel like even more of a home.
I still talk about how I don’t want to stay stuck in my hometown and that I want to go somewhere new after college. I think that somewhere new will be similar to what I’ve been used to my whole life: a suburban town in close proximity to a big city. Small towns aren’t cages trying to hold people back from the world; they’re starting points that build a foundation for something bigger.