One lesson I have learned about family is small towns bring you closer together. All my immediate family lives in Schenectady. Being so close to them has made Schenectady like a second home to me. Some of the fondest memories of my childhood include sleeping over my aunts apartment, walking to the park at the school near her, and running outside to catch the ice cream truck. Having family so close by and being from a place where the town and city basically overlap has caused me to form tight bonds with my family members. Something else I have learned is to always surround yourself with positive people. The people who constantly complain about living in Rotterdam are the worst. Yes, we all know it is awful but being constantly reminded about …show more content…
Whether it’s getting food, watching netflix, or going on long drives these are the moments that count. There is never anything to do in Rotterdam so who you choose to surround yourself with is important. A final lesson I have learned is about place. It doesn’t matter where you’re from. You can be from the richest town ever or the poorest city but I can promise you no one cares, at least the important people won’t care. Rotterdam is not the nicest place to live. I have met people from a few towns over and their impression of me based on where I’m from isn’t a good one. I have one partiular memory where this stands out to me. I was a huge runner in highschool and after one particular race I was accused of pulling another girls ponytail. My coaches talked to me about it and race officials, I was accused of something I never did. Later on I was in the bathroom and I heard other girls talking about me and my team. I will never forget the harsh words that left their mouth including “They’re scum from Schenectady anyways.” The girl who accused me came in 2 places behind me and was most likely bitter about me finishing before her. This was a huge upset to