Suffield, CT, is located in Northern Connecticut right on the Massachusetts border. Urban Dictionary defines it as, "The whitest of all places known to man," but to me, it's just home. Every town has its advantages and disadvantages. The days leading up to high school graduation could not come soon enough and I couldn't wait till the day I left (for good). Now, I'm a senior in college and I wouldn't trade growing up there for anything. I wish I hadn't spent all that time wishing it away because I didn't even realize how lucky I was and that those were some of the best days of my life. It's taught me some of the most valuable lessons that I will carry with me throughout life.
Your business is everyone's business.
Talk literally spreads like wildfire. You tell something to one person, whether they're your best friend or not, and within a day everybody knows about it. Word of advice, keep your gossip and secrets to yourself. I learned that lesson the hard way… countless times.
Friend groups will change.
If you asked me back in high school who I thought my best friends would be at this very moment, I would have been so wrong. People change as they go on their own paths to different colleges and you will as well. Some will change for the better and some the worse. Those who change for the worse will probably not make an ounce of effort to maintain the friendship you once shared, but that's just life. Take it from someone who's been there a time or two, you'll move on and find even better friends.
Cliques are atrocious.
Every town has them, but for some reason small towns seem to have it REAL BAD. Kids who think they're hicks (but not really at all). Jocks. "Popular" mean girls. The "have to be involved in every single school activity" kids. In reality, cliques are completely useless. We get so caught up in maintaining a certain image that we forget to be our true selves. If you asked my high school class, the majority would probably say I was a "popular" mean girl, but my question is… What exactly were they basing that off of? Getting to know somebody on more than just a surface level will give you a much better understanding of their true character vs. just the group of people they hang out with. Basically, my point is screw cliques, they suck.
Your whole family may or may not populate the town.
I had 1 cousin all throughout high school (my cousin's husband's step-niece, if that's even a thing). We totally played it off as if we were way more closely related than actual, but who cares (I just wanted to have a cousin in school with me like everybody else). On the other hand, if you're not related to just 1 person like myself, chances are your whole bloodline lives in town and at least 3 of your cousins are in the same grade as you.
You WILL see your ex just about every turn you make.
Going out to a party, he's there. Bonfire in the woods, most definitely there. Running errands in the center of town, starting to getting a stalker vibe. Don't you know that I never want to see your face ever again, let alone every other 5 seconds. In the wise words of Sam Hunt, "you gotta move or move on when you break up in a small town." I recommend the latter of the two because you're WAY TOO GOOD for him anyways!
The only Dunkin' Donuts in town is "the hangout spot."
Ages range from 12-20 and, you can't forget, the 60+ crowd. We literally have a group of kids deemed, "the clan," who sit in the parking lot to hang out. Why not go hang out at someone's house? Nope. They'll be there everyday for probably the rest of their lives.
You wouldn't trade it to live anywhere else.
I'm probably just biased, but I love my hometown and sometimes think it's far superior to other towns. Growing up in such a safe and sometimes sheltered place has definitely tested my ability to step out of my comfort zone, but also made me much more appreciative of it.
