Since I was seven years old, every single summer my mother has boarded me on a plane from a tiny town in rural Georgia to the urban jungle that is New York City, in order to visit my dad. I grew up with two separate lives and got to do what most kids don't: spend time in an influential and artistically encouraging city while still growing up in a town that taught me the importance of kindness and hospitality.
When I entered high school, I began to pine more for my summers away from the small town I resided in. I would count down the days until I got to see the city again and they'd go by sluggishly. I learned that time has a tendency to get shy when you're staring at it.
I struggled to understand where I fit in wherever I was; I felt too big for my small town and too small for the city. I loved the anonymity of the city; how easy it was to visit and have no one know who I was or what I'd been through. The stereotype of how easy personal information spreads in small towns rings absolutely true. I hated how much people knew about me and how many mistakes they'd seen me make. Everyone knows everyone; in a way, the entire town is interconnected. New York was a breath of fresh air because no one knew what I'd done wrong and it was like I had a clean slate. There was always something to participate in or do around the city. I was never bored as long as I had a Metrocard and a couple dollars - and even the Metrocards demonstrated the artistic qualities of NYC that I loved so much.
New York taught me to dream big. It taught me to reach for whatever I wanted. It also kept me grounded when it came to bad situations that happened to me; NYC reminded me how big the world is and how different life can be. It taught me not to get caught up in the present to the point where I was not focusing how spectacular the future would be. It also became my inspiration to do well in school because if I didn't, I wouldn't be able to live there for college.
But no matter how much I glorify New York, I know deep down there were aspects of living in a small town that the city would have never shown me. The kindness strangers show to one another, the sense of community and belonging, the quiet streets at night. I loved those parts of Georgia and appreciated that I was allowed to live a double life.
Once I got older I stopped wasting my time waiting to be happy in New York and started working on being happy where I was. I made so many amazing friends, started being apart of the town I disliked so much. I stopped being so closed off and afraid to put down roots and began to make best friends I know will last a lifetime.
I do plan on moving to New York next year for college, but for now, I will love the last year of life in a town where teachers take the time to get to know me and I can spend my last few months with my very best friends.
So, growing up like Hannah Montana had its ups and downs. But overall, I wouldn't trade my life for anyone else's.
