Coming home for winter break always gives me mixed emotions. Obviously, I love being home to see my family and friends, but after a few weeks my hometown can get somewhat boring. Even though being home comes with different emotions and unpredictable incidents, I’ll always love my hometown for so many reasons.

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My family is here.

I can’t say how many times I have heard people say “I hate it here,” or “I’m never coming back,” and, yes, it is true some people don’t come back, but for me it is hard to say I hate the place where my family lives, and where I once lived.

Coming home means getting to see my hometown friends.

Even though my hometown does have a limited amount of activities, my friends and I always seem to find something to do. I love catching up with people from home and of course going to parties in my hometown is always like a big reunion and nothing short of a good time.

My hometown made me who I am.

I am me today because of my hometown. I have changed a lot since I left for college, just like most people do, but the experiences that I've gone through in my hometown have laid out the foundation for who I have become.

The diversity here is amazing.

Being home has made me appreciate just how much I love the diversity my hometown has to offer. There are so many languages spoken here and so many different types of people. In a world where diversity and race has become a touchy subject it is always comforting to see different faces and cultures all in one place.

This is where I grew up.

No matter how far I move away or how long I stay away this is the place where I made my first memories. I’ve made memories here that’ll always be with me forever. There were so many late night cruises blasting music, trips to McDonald’s after going to the movies, and summer days spent at the pool. I have my hometown to thank for those great moments.

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Even though I plan on moving away from my hometown after graduating college I’ll always come back home. No matter how boring it can be sometimes or how much I tell myself I love getting away I will always be proud of where I came from, and I will always call this place home.