A Small Town Girl at Heart

Pune, my city in India is no small town. A city with more than 3 million population, one of the biggest IT hubs in India, is crowded. Thankfully, when I was living in Pune, about 7 years ago it was not that crazy. And my home in Pune, is still at a quiet location. So my home definitely has a small town quiet feel. After moving to US, I landed up in Atlanta, another metro with millions of people. Though the county I lived in was a rich one, the apartment complex was not. So it has all its negatives including terrible apartments and crime. There was never a dull moment with criminals on lose and tenants enjoying music at 3am and of course smell of marijuana in the hallways. The school was in downtown Atlanta and must say I hated that area. I have seen way too much crime and heard about much more and I was done with big cities. And then I moved to Tempe.

Tempe is not exactly a small town but it is smaller compared to Phoenix. Tempe has the best of both worlds, all the educational and employment opportunities (ASU main campus is in Tempe) because it is in Phoenix metro area but a t the same time, the cozy feel of small town. We were in great terms with our neighbors. We would visit each other on Christmas, people would borrow things in kitchen and just come by to say "Hello". That's what I am talking about. Small town feel.

After living in Tempe for a while it was hard for me to adjust in DC (my all time favorite city in US) during my internship. I would tell V, that every time I open the door people are on my face. Tempe completely ruined me because of big streets and quite neighborhoods. I always thought how would I do in a big city? And then something beautiful happened. We moved to Ann Arbor, another small city but rich with culture. That's like a dream come true. I have all the amenities I need and with UMICH right at the corner, all the educational opportunities are there. There is always something to do. But without the chaos and crowds. I enjoy sitting outside and just looking at the birds and rabbits and occasional visitors like ducks and raccoons (racoons are visiting us more and more and they are a kind of mess and make much more )I enjoy the walks in downtown, visiting library and sometimes just hanging out in Borders. Even some of the Borders staff knows me now. I love this. I see people walking their dogs, they would stop and say "Hello" if they see you. Neighbors will help you if you need anything. It's wonderful. I like this cozy feeling.

I am definitely a small town girl at heart. Though I have lived in a big city, I always enjoyed the quiet times at my grandma's place in Saswad and now I get to enjoy this every day. I hope I land up in another beautiful town in future and enjoy the smell of air there!