As a Carmel native, my appreciation for my hometown definetly grew when I moved away. There are things all Carmelites complain about but in general it was a pretty great place to grow up. Here are some things everyone from Carmel can relate to.

1. No deli will ever compare to Arthur Avenue.

Carmel Specials are the most important sandwich in your life.

2. You have been to the largest Buddha statue in the Western hemisphere at least once.

And you are proud to share the same hometown as it.

3. You have some type of musical and/or athletic talent.

Let's be real, almost everyone played at least one sport and our music department was amazing.

4. You were bitter when they combined the Kent Knights and Carmel Chiefs.

The rivalry is now over.

5. You still hate Mahopac.

And you always will.

6. You know who Sybil Ludington is.

Apparently, most people don't learn about Sybil Lundington, but we luckily have a beautiful statue dedicated to her.

7. You have signed your name at Ninham Fire Tower.

Or drew some picture, wrote f**k Pac, or did illegal activities.

8. You have a hard time explaining where you are from.

No, we don't live in Westchester or anywhere near Canada.

9. You hate being told you are from up-state.

Get a map.

10. Most of your friends will stay local.

Most Carmel grads will stay in NY for college and will mostly likely settle somewhere in the state, which is good since you can reunite with your classmates.

11. You go to Jones Beach multiple times every summer.

And you will probably see people you know at field six.

12. You had a crush on at least one history teacher.

They were all pretty attractive.

13. Scoops has a special place in your heart.

It is the perfect spot on a summer night.

14. You actually loved your high school library.

It was the best place for your free period, even though their rules were ridiculous.

15. You went to the city often, but still felt like a tourist.

Going to the city will always amaze and overwhelm you.

16. The Danbury Fair Mall was the place to go in middle school.

It was our first taste of freedom when we were finally allowed to go without adult supervision.

17. You are proud of where you are from.

Carmel may be small and have not too much to offer, but we will always love it.

As everyone I went to high school with moves on with their lives, we will always have these 17 things in common.