This Saturday, I spent the whole day out on the town with one of my best friends. We walked around and explored some more of Wichita’s local places. We started with breakfast at Doo-Dah diner, a local breakfast and lunch place downtown. A mural of the Wichita flag is painted outside. After that, we went shopping to the Value Center, a big thrift shop, looking for thrifty NYE outfits. Next was juice from a recently opened shop, 86 Cold Press. Adventuring continued with an antique store down the street, followed by a book shop that in placed inside of a house. Throughout all of these places, I realized how unique each one was, and I wouldn't be able to get this same experience anywhere else. I was all of a sudden incredibly grateful to have grown up where I did and continue to have the chance to experience its beauty.

I’ve lived in the same house my entire life in Wichita, Kansas. Most of the people I grew up with and went to school with hate it here. Or even friends from other schools. Apparently, it’s an unpopular opinion to actually enjoy Wichita. However, I do. I truly enjoy it here. That doesn’t mean that I’m not ready to leave and experience life somewhere else once I become a big girl, but when I’m home, there’s no place like it.

My favorite part of Wichita is downtown. It’s full of local businesses. Coffee shops, diners, antique stores, thrift shops- you name it. Of course, we don’t have everything. We have the charm. More and more businesses are flourishing in downtown Wichita, and it has given me a new appreciation for the city. Each one embraces being local. The people that continue to support the local businesses and appreciate them are important; it makes me SO happy. These places, that are unique to my city and are so special to me, make me proud to live here.

Wichita will always be home to me. Yes, I want to move away to either a big city or the mountains one day, but it will never fail to bring me so much joy coming home to a beautiful ICT.