Where I'm From

Turning Home (Album Version) "Turning Home" by David Nail

There's something really wonderful about that little patch of earth known as my hometown. It's got a little sense of magic that fills the air at sunset. There's a hill just on the edge of town, right as you're coming in on Route 66, and if the sun's setting, the entire city has a glow. You can see the outline of the Mill, the stoplights at a few intersections, and the McDonald's sign. You don't get to enjoy it for long, but if you've been lucky enough to catch it, then you know the feeling.

Sometimes, I wonder what it's like to be from somewhere else. What's it like to call another place home, to feel this sort of passion for another city in another state and maybe even another country? I've felt drawn to places and I'm in love with places, but it's nothing like coming home.

Whether it's been raining all day or there hasn't been a cloud in the sky, the sight of my hometown can really get to me. It's changed since I was little, but it's still the same. There's a new high school building, a hospital and two Starbucks locations (one of them is inside Target, but I still count it.) The thing about my hometown is not that it's physically magic or all that beautiful. It's more about the face that it's tied to my memories. I got my picture on the front town of the newspaper for sliding down the slide at the grand opening of the new children's park. I used to ditch my tutoring class once a week with my friend Katie and we'd go get donuts together. I played softball on the city's public fields for thirteen years. Names, faces, memories: they're all connected to this place. No matter where I end up in life, there's always going to be something for me here.

My first taste of Wanderlust

There's a moment in ever wanderluster's life where the realization hits them. It's not always in the middle of some fantastic adventure or even in another country. If I think back on my life, I've always felt as though "home" was changing. I could feel at home just about anywhere I was: camping in the wilderness, sitting in my grandmother's kitchen, or watching the sun rise on a beach in Florida. I've always been lucky enough to travel, whether it was with my family or friends or some other opportunity. I remember hearing that I would be getting a free trip to New York City when I was a high school sophomore. As editor of the yearbook, I was given the chance to visit one of the most popular destinations in the world at the measly age of 16. To say I was excited would be an understatement.

The yearbook adviser chose my mom as our "chaperone" to accompany him, myself and the other editor on the trip. She was just as excited as I was and we immediately planned out all the places we wanted to visit. From Columbia University, the host site of the event we were attending, to the top of the Empire State Building, we pretty much saw every tourist attraction in the city. I remember standing in the middle of Times Square thinking it was a lot smaller than I pictured it in my mind. I remember riding the Ferris Wheel inside the Toys-R-Us and taking pictures with giant candy bars at Hersey.

The moment that stands out most in my mind, however, is a bit quieter than the rest. It's softer, almost like a dream. There's a spot in the giant room where immigrants used to check in that has a giant window. If you aren't looking out it, you'll miss the sight, but nearly everyone catches the Statue of Liberty caught in the window. It's this exact moment when I realized that I was more than a tourist. I was a traveler. Caught up in the feelings of all the history of the place, it's easy to think more deeply about traveling as a passion. But the feeling I found there hasn't once left me. Ever since then, I've spent every spare moment chasing it, and it's taken me to some pretty amazing places. Along the way, I've also discovered quite a bit about myself.

Check Out This Blog!

Sara has been running this blog for quite a while, and she's always entertaining. She's a 21-year-old (almost 22, Happy Birthday soon!) blogging from Georgia about all things in her life: school, nannying, and her current favorite nail polishes. Sara's blog is easy on the eyes and fits into her preppy style, a big plus to all her followers. Her layout is very clean and her posts are all appropriate in length. Depending on the topic, some are longer than others. She's good about using images to draw readers in as well as emphasize the things she's discussing.

As far as a weakness goes, the only thing I can really point at is her headline. I absolutely love the chevron and the simplicity of the design, but the text could be a little bigger. Ultimately, that's just a personal preference and really isn't hindering anyone from reading her blog. I really hope that I can mimic Sara's ease with blogging. She has a way of making it feel like she's a close friend discussing things over coffee rather than some distant person talking about her nail polish.

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