By Neely Mallik

For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to get out of here. 

This town has always been gray to me. Its skies are heavy, its streets plain, and its corners wear the same tired expression year after year. It feels like a place where dreams collect dust, where the world beyond moves forward, and I am left standing still.

I crave a life outside of this one, where each corner you turn tells a new story and opportunities feel within reach. I’ve always known I would find myself there one day, in a new city, a new country even, where I look outside and know I am in the right place. 

And yet, even as I yearn to go, I know this place holds a part of me I can’t leave behind.

The grayness of this town has been the backdrop to everything I’ve ever known. I’ll miss the cafe where the barista knows my favorite order, and the ice cream shop I used to go to after every soccer game, and the gym parking lot where I learned how to drive for the first time. 

I’ve always wanted to get away, and I probably always will. 

But I also love this place, and I know I always will.