Hi everybody! I was lucky enough to be able to go to Atlanta for a few days this past week to see my friends from college. This is a super emotional post for me to write but definitely helped me solidify my feelings and thoughts.
Atlanta is my favorite place. While I had a lot of ups and downs with Emory University, I always loved Atlanta. The city is unlike any other city I've been to. It's quirky yet trendy. It's made up of lots of young professionals but a good place to raise a family and lay down roots. It's a typical southern city but has this tremendous global presence. During college, any time I needed to get off campus, I would explore a different area of Atlanta. It has so many amazing things to offer, ranging from amazing restaurants to shopping to outdoor activities.
After I graduated from high school, I was one of the few people to leave my hometown to go to college. I grew up in a college town, so the bulk of my friends stayed and went to that college. A good portion of my class went to another college a few hours away, but regardless, they were still in Indiana. Leaving my hometown was a big deal, but I always knew I was not a small town girl. I love big cities and Atlanta was calling me.
Fast forward to the end of my freshman year, I met a guy. I was head over heels in love with him and we were together for a little over a year. We had talked about our future and I opened up to him about a lot of very personal issues that I have never expressed to anybody else. He ended our relationship and then two days later I found out he was dating somebody else. I was hurt. I think that's actually an understatement, I was devastated. I moped around for almost 6 months, but with the help of my friends, I slowly began to mend myself. I used the city to do so. Because Emory is so small, it can make you feel trapped and suffocated. I was also sick of people asking me how I was doing post break up. Every chance I got, I was out exploring Atlanta and the surrounding area. If I had a break during lunch, I would check out a new restaurant, far away from campus.
This distance gave me the time to heal. Atlanta gave me the space to grow and to come to terms with everything that had happened.
When I graduated college, I knew leaving Atlanta was going to be really difficult. Most of my college friends were staying in the city, while I was moving back to Chicago. Recently, I've been struggling with feeling alone and isolated even though I have a good amount of friends in Chicago. A few weeks ago, I decided to take a trip to Atlanta to see all my friends. As soon as I landed, an immediate sense of happiness came over me. I felt at peace.
Over the course of my very short trip to Atlanta, I saw over 40 of my friends. But even more importantly, I got to explore the city that I love. The last semester of senior year, I listened to "Suncity" by Khalid on repeat. Although this song is not about Atlanta, it always makes me think of exploring the city and feeling so content. There's a line in the song that says "llevame llevame, donde deje mi corazon" (take me, take me, where I left my heart). I have left a part of my heart in Atlanta. It forced me to grow up. It forced me to be independent. It forced me to get out of my misery post break up. And for that, I am forever thankful for this city. Atlanta has a piece of my heart and I can't wait to move back there some day and raise my family.
Best place to view the Atlanta skyline @ Jackson St. Bridge
Kindly, Kaveri
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