7 Things You Learn Moving Away From Your Hometown

I’ve grown up in a small-town all my life. The quiet midnight streets, the steady flow of traffic and the ability to see the stars at night have made it place of both comfort and enjoyment. Despite the comfort, I decided to move 3000 miles away to a bigger city where these occurrences are not only rare, but unheard of.  These are the 7 things I learned from moving away from my hometown!

1. You learn more about yourself than you ever have before

Chances are, when you move away from your hometown, you’ll quickly realize what your preferences are. Moving away from your hometown forces you into a new world that’s outside of your comfort zone. And your daily interactions with the people and new environment will only change you for the better.

2. You have to grow up very quickly

Leaving a place you’ve grown to love can be quite the challenge. You’ll have to assume a new character and take responsibility for your actions in this new environment. There are so many crucial lessons that being in a new environment will bring that will shape you into a completely different person, either inside or out.

3. You learn to adjust to almost anything

Moving away from your hometown will undoubtedly be a huge culture shock. You will see things that you are not used to, and may not necessarily like. Maybe Sriracha-Mayo won’t be your new favorite condiment when you move to LA. Unfortunately, you’ll be forced to deal with it daily. Luckily, you’ll grow accustomed to these new happenings that overtime they won’t even faze you.

4. You will become more open-minded

New places bring new people, new sights and new opinions. The new environment will force you to face people who may not have the same beliefs as you, or the people in your home town, and exist peacefully with them. You will learn to listen to others while holding your own opinions without shutting other people down. You will quickly learn about the art of ‘agreeing to disagree’.

5. You appreciate the obvious things

With moving away from a place comes moving away from all the things that you’ve grown to love about that place. So, those midnight facetime calls and random check ins from loved ones might seem super annoying at first, but as the months go by and the years grow longer, you’ll grow to love them.

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6. You miss the things you used to hate

It is easy for us to take for granted the stuff we’ve grown accustomed to. No matter the distance that you put between you and your hometown, the nostalgia attached to your town will cause you to not only remember the good parts of it, but the bad parts too. You’ll grow to love the attributes to your hometown that once annoyed you because they are apart of your beloved hometown.

7. You grow closer to your hometown

The little quirks that come in your home will only grow foreign in this new area. Despite the bittersweet truth, the new area will ironically bring you closer to your hometown by forcing you to find it within yourself and carry a piece of it with you wherever you go. You can travel halfway across the world, but with every new environment will there be a new trait, reminding you about what you left behind. `

Have you experienced moving away from your hometown!? Share in the comments below!

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