I have lived in Eastport, Maine my whole life and I have never regretted that. There's only one way in and one way out, unless you plan on traveling by boat or ferry. I find something comforting about that. Being from a small town you can always tell who is from around here and who is just visiting simply by the way they pronounce certain local landmarks. We have a small population of 1,200. There are a lot of things I took for granted as a child that I have come to realize were blessings in disguise.
Going to college in Machias has made me realize just how easy we have had it. I always make fun of my friend for locking her car, even when we are just stopping at someone's house for two minutes. She then told me that she is just accustomed to it, because where she is from if you leave your car unlocked it will most likely be broken into. I have never had to worry about someone stealing from me.
The school systems in a small town cater a lot more towards the students as well. With the class sizes being so low, it allows students to get more one on one help. Where as in a higher populated school it is harder to get that kind of attention. When I started school in pre-K, we were one of the biggest classes in the school. As the school years went by our class dwindled in size. Our eighth grade class ended up graduating with four people, myself included. My high school was also very small. My friends at college talk about their class size and it seems so crazy. My class had about 25 students. Whereas their class had about 200. I don't think I would like attending such a big school, because I would be afraid that I would fall into the school system and just be a number.
I have been lucky to live where I am now. I love this area. Right down to the pharmacies. There has been times where my insurance has gone all wonky and the pharmacist would give me my medication, knowing that I would straighten things out. I can't imagine that in New York or somewhere like that that would ever happen. It's family businesses that make this area so great!
When I think of the town that I live in, it all comes down to the people. The people make this community so strong. I've never met nicer people than those I've met living where I do. Right down to my neighbors who having been calling me Samantha all my life, even though I have told them several times that my name is Savannah. Or my employer, who when I asked for my check early said that me would loan me money. Or the people that I went to church with as a child, that I now wait on at the Waco Diner. I know that one day, I will finally leave this place, but I will always be proud when I say that I grew up in Eastport, Maine.
