Home is Where...

I'm a west coast girl. Born and raised, here to stay. But part of me feels like I don't belong here anymore. I go home to Olympia and feel left out. I go to Seattle and just feel out of place. Even where I am now, Spokane, doesn't work for me. I'm at that time in my life where I can literally go anywhere. Once I graduate I won't have a job, an education, anything that will hold me back. I am able to go to whatever city I want and try to start my life there.

Everyone thinks of New York City, huh? For obvious reasons it's the city of new beginnings. What 20 year old wouldn't love to move there? It's big, it's crazy, it's filled with opportunities, and, well, it's New York City. I've considered it. I've thought about jumping on a plane with an one way ticket and just figuring my life out in NYC. But then I realize how cliche and stupid that sounds. New York City. What would a small town girl like me do in a city like that?

D.C. is another popular option. Why? I do not know. I've been there once. It was hot, humid, and crowded. Not exactly the most pleasant place and like NYC, everyone is on the move. But there is something rather intriguing about moving to 'the other Washington.' So much is based out of this city, that I could honestly do whatever I wanted.

Now this may sound weird, but ever since I was in elementary school I wanted to visit Maine. I haven't yet, though it is still on my list. I love the idea of going to the eastern most tip of the continental US. Maybe drive there from WA. Unlike NYC and D.C., The state of Maine doesn't have those high traffic cities, at least nothing in comparison. The also has absolutely no one that I know. I have family in NYC and close friends in D.C.. But Maine? Absolutely no one. Which would make the move that more scary (that might have a bit to do with my social abilities).

This is what I want. I want to walk out of an airport, step out of a cab, walk the streets, and just know. I want to have that feeling of belonging and home. I want to fill that missing place in me. I want to know that this is where I'm meant to be. I don't want to look at the tall buildings and city life and feel intimidated, I want to look at them and see my future.

The PNW will always be my home. I could never fully leave Olympia and this state will always be a part of my life. But I know that I'm not meant to be here, at least not right now. My future lies elsewhere. Where? I do not know. But I hope wherever it is I get that knowing feeling, and I really hope I'll be able to call that place my home.

And here's a small description of the place I currently call home:

"This place that was once called Nova Albion isn’t at all like New England. It isn’t like any other place on the continent, in fact. Ask a group of Washingtonians to describe the place, and you’ll probably end up confused. We might describe cattle ranches or fog-bound fishing towns, endless fields of wheat or tiny orchards heavy with juicy apples. We might talk about salmon leaping over waterfalls or magnificent elk at sunrise on the shore of a crystal clear lake. We could be city people, too, or we might commute to jobs in the city from homes on otherwise deserted islands. But whatever we find to like about life in Washington, we all agree that there is nothing quite like it. And who’s to say we aren’t absolutely right?"

Embrace your hometown, but don't be afraid to venture away.
<3 Siobhan
February 19th, 2013 at 02:36am