The transition stage is over. We’re officially full blown college students, the kind that drink three cups of coffee to get through a day, spend more time in the library than their own dorm, and haven’t made our beds in weeks. With midterms creeping up and more essays to write then days in the week, the workload feels never ending. There’s barely time to sleep anymore, so you can only imagine students’ excitement when they remember fall break is just around the corner. A bed with clean sheets, a shower without shoes on, and tasty food that parents pay for, what could be better!? Nothing, nothing at all. From the second I got off the plane, I viewed my hometown in a new way.

Everything about the place, every street and every corner, seems smaller then when I left it. I knew college would change my outlook on my former life, however nothing could have prepared me for the effect going to a large university would have on my view of the little town I call home.

I know everyone and anyone.

I can promise you that no matter how many years you live there; you’ll never know every single person walking around Ann Arbor. Naturally, you’ll wave to the cute boy in English class, or the girls living down the hall who you share clothes with. On the way to class you’ll see friendly faces across the street, and are almost guaranteed to bump into someone walking in the Diag. Moments like these make Michigan “small”, but no matter how hard you try, unless you’re Superman, you’ll never know all 29,000 undergraduate student’s names by heart. I got used to the idea of being a tiny fish in a large sea, so when I returned to my quiet hometown I was baffled. Everywhere I turned I saw someone who knows me by name, and constantly ran into people I’ve known since I was a little girl. It’s almost impossible to go into an Italian restaurant without knowing the family sitting next to you, or go into Starbucks without bumping into an old classmate on line.

My Town is Little, My High School is Tiny.

Ann Arbor is not your average “town”. It has the perks of a city without the constant chaos and overcrowded streets. Home to any cuisine imaginable, clothing stores, pharmacies, movie theatres, workout facilities, academic buildings and enough Michigan apparel to supply the entire state, there’s never a reason to leave. Living in this cosmopolitan mini city made me realize how little my hometown really is. The small town where I grew up consists of a few streets that hug each other at the corners. With some cute food options, nail salons, jewelry stores, and chain store coffee shops, the town is charming in the best ways. My high school, the place where I have some of my best and worst memories, is the size of my pinky finger. The whole thing fits on one small campus, and It took me under ten minutes to walk to every building. This school, a place that once seemed huge and over whelming, doesn’t even compare to the campus I live on now, my home away from home.

The Noise.

One will never experience true silence on a college campus, especially not in Ann Arbor. During the school year there are always thousands of students around to make noise, whether it be dining in restaurants, hitting the bars at night, or just hanging out on the grass. Beside for the long hours spent in the quiet section of the library, it is hard to find a place without the chatter and laughter of college students enjoying their lives. Aside from a nice walk in the Arb, It’s rare in Ann Arbor to hear the chirping of birds in the spring, or the whistle of wind on a chilly autumn morning. There are some aspects that are reserved for a small town, the little things you just can’t find in a city.

Me.

Neither of the places I live in have changed over the past couple of months. My hometown may feel smaller than ever, but in reality nothing is different than when I left it at the end of the summer. It’s me, the college student who now has not one but two places to call home. Living away makes me see things differently. I cherish Ann Arbor for all it is, with its big time food venues and clothing chains. It’s impossible to get sick of that city, and I appreciate the effect it has had on my college experience. However, there are some things one can only find in their cozy hometown, a place that will always be in my heart. No matter where I live, or how many years go by, I know I will always have my small little town, a piece of home to carry with me wherever I go.