All throughout high school, I wanted to leave my hometown. I live in the suburbs of South Jersey, a place that almost feels like nothing ever changes. The fact that one day I could go to a university somewhere new and exciting was what got me through those four years of high school. I wasn't even upset at my high school graduation because I was so ready to get out of there. During college, I only went home when I had to for breaks. And when I was home, I was dying to go back.

But after these few months, I feel like everything changed. This summer has been one of the best. No, I didn't travel the world; I didn't even go on vacation. I was mostly always at the two jobs I work, hanging out with my friends, at the gym, or writing (a lot). It doesn't sound so special. But what made this summer so special was that for the first time, I loved my home town. And for once, I'm not ready to leave.

When you leave where you've grown up your whole life and come back, it's like you see everything through rose-colored glasses. The way the streets get quiet at 10 PM on a Sunday, the watered down coffee at the diner you've spent countless late nights at with your friends, the Starbucks you stressed over schoolwork at, the roads you learned to drive on. The things I used to get bored of seeing every day in high school now fill me with so much nostalgia and happiness. It's as if the sunsets are more vibrant, the trees are a darker shade of green, and the skies are a little more blue. You become to appreciate the little things.

My town's slogan is "Together With Pride." I have never fully felt that pride for my town until now. And I'm so appreciative that I got to grow up here, with the opportunities I've been given from my school and the privileges I didn't even realize I had. Yes, it still can get pretty boring (especially when everything closes at 9:30) but that just adds to the suburban charm.

The song "Suburbia" by Troye Sivan was too fitting to not include. It's a song about him being stuck between wanting to move on from "suburbia" to experience all that's out there and follow his dreams but being attached to the nostalgia and memories that his small town gives him. Talking with my friends, we've been feeling exactly that our first summer back from college.

I know there is so much out there, and I still remember why I wanted to leave. I miss my friends at school and I can't wait to experience another year at college, but I know that it'll be really hard to say goodbye this summer. Goodbye to the coworkers that feel like family. Goodbye to the friends that I've become even closer with. And goodbye to the town I never loved until now. Because I've never felt more at home.