When people ask me where I’m from I hesitate for a moment. I wonder if I should tell people my actual hometown or the biggest city it’s close to; in the end, I go with telling them my hometown. The conversation goes something like this: “Where are you from?” “Oh, I’m from Tobaccoville.” “Tobaccoville? Seriously? Is that even a real place?” Well, I’m here to tell you that Tobaccoville is a real place and people actually live there; we may not be the biggest town and we may not even be on the maps, but it’s there. I am also here to express my gratitude for my town of Tobaccoville.

I want to start out by saying thank you Tobaccoville, for providing me a safe place to grow up in. Where I grew up I never felt unsafe and for that, I am so grateful. I know in the world there are people my age that can’t say this, and for that, I am very thankful. I know in my heart that if I ever need to get away or escape for a little while, you will still be there waiting for me. There is such comfort in making my four-hour trip home and seeing the “Welcome to Tobaccoville” sign, so thank you for that as well.

Thank you for giving me so many memories that I will cherish for the rest of my life. When I think back to my childhood I think about hiking in the woods with my dad during Christmas break. I think about finding the waterfalls and my secret spot in the woods where I would go and sit for hours. I remember learning to play soccer in my yard and the summers spent playing in the sprinkler with my little sister and my cousins. I think about high school and my first time driving my road home by myself. I think about my drives home from school in the fall when I would roll my windows down and blast One Direction and Taylor Swift. There’s just so much I think about when I think about my hometown and so much I am grateful that you gave to me.

I also want to thank you for making me realize that there is more for me out in the world than what you have to offer. Thank you for making me see that Tobaccoville, North Carolina may be home, but I’m not going to live here forever. However it will be a place that I can come back to and reminisce about the “good days.” When I left my hometown a year and a half ago I knew then that as much as I loved what it had to offer to me, the world had even more. I realized that as much as I would miss my family and my pets that I had to leave in order to become a new person, which is that last thing I am thankful for. Thank you for making me the person I am today. I believe that when I left my hometown I had the chance to start over; I could become anyone I wanted to be and without my experiences in my hometown I wouldn’t have been ready for my new life. I am thankful for you for guiding me to find what I want to achieve out of life and for leading to me to my best friends. Thank you for making me realize that as much as I love my hometown, I couldn’t stay here forever. So thank you, Tobaccoville, for being my hometown and giving me something to be proud of when I say: I am from Tobaccoville, North Carolina.