Why It’s Okay to Not Love Your Hometown

For those who do not know me, I have been living in my hometown located in Southern Maryland since I was nine years old. I am now 22 years old who recently graduated from college, which is also near my hometown. The main reason my little sister and I are here is because our parents work on the military base in Southern Maryland. In my opinion, it is not too bad to live in my hometown but the main problems are that it is rural and there is not that much to do around here. You will need a car to get anywhere and nothing is nearby. 

I heard and know people who cannot wait to get out of their hometowns and move to bigger and better places in the world. For some, it might be awkward to move back to your hometown after being away at college for so long. Going back to your hometown might feel different now because the atmosphere feels different. The friends from your hometown have changed and you find yourself no longer speaking to them, old stores are torn down and new ones are built, or you find yourself you lost touch and do not feel any sparks with your hometown anymore. 

Even though I might not love my town I live in for most of my life and even during my time in college, I do appreciate the person I have turned into while growing up here and also appreciate what my town has to offer. I went from a shy, quiet person to a person who loves to help people in need, loves to dance, and loves to write and have her work out there for everyone to see. I became more outgoing back in middle school and high school, which is where I started to get involved with community service and talk to people more often. I also appreciate that my town has the best sunrises and sunsets. I went to St. Mary’s College of Maryland for my undergrad so living by the water does has some perks. I either go to the docks at my college or to the wharf in town to watch the sunset. It made me appreciate how beautiful nature can be. Also, when I attended St. Mary’s College of Maryland, that is where I saw myself changed a lot. To live in a rural hometown and then decided to live on campus, it was a change for me. I could have commuted from home but decided to live on campus for the college experience and I needed to be independent from my parents for the first time. I would not trade my experience at St. Mary’s for anything else and felt like “hey so I do not exactly loathe my hometown after all.” I met and made many friends from different backgrounds and got involved with dance heavily with little experience, which was a quick discovery I made after signing up with Cultural Dance Club. 

Even though my own hometown does has some perks, of course I am not going to love where I live 100% and that is okay. I appreciate for what it has to offer. I already know I am not going to live around Southern Maryland forever because I knew would have to get out and explore the world and make it better my own way. I am only 22 years old and I still have time to figure life out.

Many of my former high school classmates and friends have already left the area. Some moved to another part of Maryland while others moved out of the state completely. I barely talked to them anymore, which is fine because it is all a part of growing up and finding where you are supposed to be in life. Sometimes, I feel like a loser for staying in my hometown still, especially for going to college near it. The reason I think this is because I feel that I have not truly grown up and many people are out in the world doing their own thing. For me, I am still trying to figure my life out but I already know I should not be ashamed for not completely leaving the area yet. I am still growing up and finding my own place in the world.

For anyone reading this piece, it is okay to not love your hometown, especially if you still live there. I certainly do not 100% of the time. Do not see living in your hometown as a hindrance, but as a chance to grow and explore to what it has to offer. Also, know you are not going to live in your own hometown forever unless you choose to do so. I know I will not unless I have a legitimate reason to stay for the time being. Do not compare yourself to others who already completely left. Everyone’s lives are different. It is up to you on how you want to shape your life. For the time being, I am still going to enjoy my time in my hometown until I make the change to move out completely. I still have my whole life ahead of me and so do you.