Anytime you move to a new place, it takes some time to get acclimated. For some people, being in a new place (in my case, college) is something they can never fully get used to. But for others and for myself, you feel so comfortable in your new city.
I was nervous about moving most all of my things and myself to a new city over a hundred miles away. I didn’t know for sure if I would be happy being on my own in a different place, especially with a new level of schoolwork I wasn’t entirely ready for. I didn’t know what I was about to be around and I was a little scared about it.
The moment that I drove into my new city and knew that I was staying, it felt differently. I had visited the city dozens of times but that first time of going and then staying, it felt special. Once I was settled in and able to roam, I just fell more and more in love with my new city.
Months went by and I just grew more and more comfortable there. I knew the areas of my campus better each day and I just loved being there. I loved being around people just like me, being around my friends, and being around the culture that’s in my city.
Each time I returned home I couldn’t help but feel drawn back to my new home. I loved visiting friends and family, but I just felt like I needed to get back. I love being there with my friends and holding down my own. Having new responsibilities and being able to act like an adult for the first time felt natural to me.
My new town felt like home to me, but a different kind of home. My hometown will always be the place that raised me and made me who I am, but being in my new city lets me be who I know that I am. Being there makes me feel true to myself. I feel like I am the best that I can be there.
I love my new city just as I love my hometown, I love them differently but at the same time, I love them the same. I feel like I am supposed to be in Charleston, like it’s where I need to be. Who knows, maybe I live there for good.