"I've never heard of that."
"Where is that?"
"Wow, that's far."
"You must be so close to Canada."
These are few of the common responses I get when asked where I'm from. Calais is small town (population: 3,123), north of Bangor (two hours), that borders into St. Stephen, Canada. I live four hours away from my college in Farmington and basically live in the middle of nowhere.
I've lived in Calais my whole life and I've lived in a safe environment there. But there's the problem, it's too safe; because it's so safe, people don't want to leave. Crime rates are low, mostly revolving around drugs and domestic violence, but I know that happens everywhere. Natural disasters are snowstorms and sometimes heavy wind. We all know each other, or know of each other, often dating other peoples' leftovers.
It's a poor town. Calais has the basic essentials: stores, a movie theatre, decent schools, churches, restaurants, and a few fast food chain eatery (McDonald's and Subway. That's literally it). It's very boring, lacking little form of entertainment, leading kids to do drugs because they have nothing better to do.
It's a mostly white town, with two Native American reservations, meaning we have a large Native American population as well (my best friend is Native). Needless to say, I haven't been exposed to a lot of the diverse culture that Farmington has.
Over time as I've aged and started going to college, I've developed a hate/love relationship with my hometown. Because of how small and safe it is, I feel like I've outgrown the community, tired of living so comfortably that I need to take a risk. If I want to be a bestselling novelist and among other things, these aspirations will not come to fruition if I stay in humble Calais the rest of my life.
At some point in the near future, I plan on leaving Calais for good, taking my family with me. But I'll always love Calais, it will hold a special place in my heart. It's given me the best place to get poutine, beautiful scenery in the summer and fall, International Festival, and has helped shape me into who I am today.
