I am from Western Massachusetts. But the majority of the people I meet here in Boston look at me blankly until I say “Springfield …?” and I’m given a slightly less blank stare. Before I came to Boston, that sentence didn’t hold much weight to me. Now, I feel like it’s a huge part of who I am and I never even realized it. I thought Western Massachusetts was known for the Basketball Hall of Fame, The Big E, and Six Flags. I thought we had a lot going on, especially for a small part of an even smaller state. And then I moved here … Boston. I realized how small my world really was. Before coming here, I had no idea what I was signing myself up for. I’ve always loved the city, but by city … I mean New York. I would go there at least once a month; I knew that the fast-paced upbeat life was made for me.
Last May, I had a decision to make and I took a leap of faith and committed myself to the University of Massachusetts Boston. I had only been to Boston a handful of times, and most of those trips were spent waiting in line to get into concerts at the House of Blues. Before coming here, I had never been to the North End, Chinatown, or even the Boston Common. I genuinely thought that all Boston had to offer was Faneuil Hall. I didn’t realize the world that lives within this city. I didn’t realize the culture, religion, and all sorts of people that live within this city. College life is amazing, but college life in Boston is indescribable. Within weeks of living here, I’ve fallen in love with it and have made it my new home. I can now take the T without having to double check my phone for directions, (which is a big deal to me). And I already have a few spots that I’ve picked out and deemed as my favorite getaways.
So, what is it that made Boston capture my heart? Maybe it was the fact that I occupy the fast lane in life. My mind buzzes alongside hundreds of people walking around in one big city. Maybe it is all the opportunities Boston has given me, already, like my job at The Mass Media. Or maybe Boston is just really amazing and I had no idea of what a world I was missing out on—with home just being two hours away, where I knew my neighbors and my neighbor’s neighbors. My small town had the tendency to put everyone into a box, and it was something I spent a huge portion of my life trying to escape. Boston was my box-cutter; it was the thing that helped me escape, the thing I had been searching for.
When I’m having a bad day, I head over to Mike’s Pastries and sit in the park nearby. And no one bothers me, because I am one face in the crowd … a crowd that’s made up of all of us here at UMass Boston … the faces in the crowd of Boston.