I recently arrived home for winter break and I forgot how much I love Massachusetts. New York is definitely the better of the two, and I love going to school there, but Massachusetts is my home. For a while I wanted to pretend like it wasn't and pretend that my small town and small state didn't compare to the glory of the Big Apple. However, the truth is that Massachusetts sticks with you wherever you go. It's everything that New York can't be--and never will be--for me.

For example, Massachusetts is quiet. New York is so loud. Here, there's no sirens or rattling trains or cars tripping over pot holes with obnoxious music leaking out the windows. Here, I have peace. I can do what I please without someone telling me what they think of it. I can worry about my own life without getting involved in the trivial drama of others' lives. In Massachusetts everyone keeps to themselves. I used to hate that, but now it's nice every once in a while. It's simply more simple here.

Part of what makes Massachusetts so quiet is the snow. It falls as if suspended forever in the air, making no noise when it lands gently upon the ground. Snow mutes the chaos of the world by blanketing everything in a uniform of white. Nothing sticks out, nothing is louder or softer. Everything is the same and everything stops.

Snow makes you realize that not everything is as bad as you think. Your ears might be freezing off and your nose bright red, but at least everything looks pretty. I know that New York gets snow, but it's just not as much as Massachusetts. When it does snow in New York, it becomes a sludgy mush in just a couple of hours. No offense to anyone reading this who's from New York, but they don't really know how to deal with snow down there. It's funny because the snow plows will just push everything into the middle of the street. That gets it out of the way, I guess.

Another reason I love Massachusetts is the accent. New York has a good one, sure, but have you ever been at work and an old guy comes in and orders a bowl of chowdah? Or, have you ever made a lahge haht regulah (large hot regular, for those who need translating) cahfee for the next guy who comes in? The accent is only part of the true Massachusetts persona, which features gentle grit, a wicked sense of humor, and lots and lots of seafood.

Massachusetts also has a lot of spirit. We should, too, according to our license plates proclaiming us as "The Spirit of America." Bostonians love their sports, and even though I don't really follow the Pats or the Sox too closely, I think it's nice that everyone stands behind something and supports it religiously. It's unifying, that way. Inspiring, some may say.

The last reason I love Massachusetts is because it's my home. There's nothing better than waking up in my bed with my two cats beside me, watching the snow fall outside and then going downstairs for a cup of coffee. There's nothing better than falling asleep on the couch with my dog resting his head on my feet and my parents watching Gilmore Girls in the background. Even if I'm a New Yorker at heart, Massachusetts was there first and it always will be.