I was driving down the street to pick up my little sister from the same high school I attended for 4 years of my life. I remember this drive; in fact I could probably drive this same road with my eyes closed. I remember the McDonalds that my grandparents would take us to every Friday morning before school to meet up with their friends and the park where I perfected my free throws. My driveway was where I had my first kiss and where I got my very first promposal. My high school is where I swam my very first and very last race of my swimming career. Newark, California is home.
I grew up in Newark, California. Our small little city has only enough people for one small high school and tiny little neighborhoods. There was barley anything to do in this small town so a creative imagination and fun-loving spirit was crucial to surviving boredom. The most exciting thing in Newark was the mall across the street from the high school and even that was declining in quality fast. Most people in Newark have been here their whole lives for and their families have lived there for generations. Almost everyone knows each other. It was impossible to walk down the aisles at safeway without seeing someone you knew. Family gathering turned into family plus friends and neighbors. Newark was so familiar and comfortable to me. Senior year I could not wait to leave Newark and explore a new city. I wanted to stretch outside of my comfort zone and discover who I was outside of Newark, California.
When I first arrived at Sonoma State I didn’t know anyone. I missed walking into my kitchen smelling some great home cooked meals. I missed walking around the community lake and meeting my best friend half way so we could gossip. I simply missed the familiarity of the town as a whole.
It wasn’t until my first weekend back home after moving away that I realized that I don’t live here anymore. I don’t spend every day driving these roads anymore. I broke down on my old bed crying about how badly I wanted to move back and forget that everything ever happened. That is when my mom sat me down and said “Newark will always be your home but Sonoma State University is were you are living, so go back there and live. You will always have home to come back to.”
I miss my family and my friends and the mcdoanlds I spent every Friday morning of my childhood; however I came to college to be successful to a to become the woman I always knew I could be.
As I lay here in my dim dorm while my roommate is sound asleep I cant help but feel thankful for my hometown and my college. My hometown is where I became who I am and without the friends, family and all the memories I would not be who I am today. My school helped my appreciate who I am and where I came from and made it clear to me that there is really no place like home.