The anticipation of moving to college was a very exciting time for me. I was ready to leave my small city and move to a new exciting place. I was thinking of going places like New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and just about every other major city on the East Coast! But due to scholarship, tuition fees, and other vital factors I ended up in Cleveland. I was extremely disappointed, especially after seeing all of my high school friends go to college in these vibrant and exciting metropolitan areas. I spent my first couple years of college absolutely hating Cleveland. I would always look forward to going back to my hometown, I would save up to travel to other cities, and I would basically just spend as little time in Cleveland as possible.

But this past year something changed, I started to explore Cleveland more and I gained an appreciation for the city. The city had a lot to offer and wasn't really given the credit it deserved. I slowly started to realize that my liking for Cleveland was beginning to grow, but after this past world series it really clicked just how much I didn't actually hate Cleveland.

I was watching Game 7 of the world series and for some reason I really wanted Cleveland to win. I was emotionally invested in them winning to the point of me yelling at the television set and pacing the room during the most nerve wrecking moments in the game. At first I wasn't sure why. I wasn't exactly a huge baseball fan, I didn't have money riding on the game or anything, and I thought I hated Cleveland. But after seeing comments made on social media about how the Cleveland Indians were irrelevant I started to get a little defensive. I started to feel a sense of pride in Cleveland. I realized that I actually liked Cleveland and I think one of the most admirable things about the city was that it was so underrated and had this bad reputation but still had so much to offer. Cleveland isn't that bad. There's great restaurants, fun areas downtown, lots of shopping, various sports teams, and so much more. After the loss of that game I was devastated and I think it was mostly because I really wanted a win for Cleveland because I did admire the city, and as much as it pains this to say me, I liked the city too.

So for some reason, it took a hard hitting loss at the world series to show me that I grew to love Cleveland. It may not be New York, or Los Angeles, or Chicago but it's a pretty great city that just has a bad reputation. Take it from someone who used to hate Cleveland, once you give the city a chance I promise you that you won't hate it anymore.