I often call Harrisburg, Pennsylvania my second home away from home. Washington, D.C. will always be my home because it is where I was born and raised. Outside of living in the Washington, D.C. area, I spent a large amount of my life and my time growing up in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. My mother is from Harrisburg, born and raised. My siblings and I found ourselves spending numerous summers and winter breaks with my grandparents in Pennsylvania. The more time I spent in Harrisburg, the more of its customs and cultures I picked up along the way. I often found it refreshing to get away from my actual home. It was like therapy for me in a sense. Outside of the therapeutic effects, I found traveling to be extremely fun and a chance to broaden my horizons. Surprisingly, a number of people I grew up with never have the chance to travel anywhere outside of where they are from. Some people are born in Maryland, D.C. and Virginia and never leave those places. Also, it helped me look at life differently because of the contrast. Washington is a lot busier than Harrisburg. I am thankful that my parents pushed me out of the box and helped me see the world around me. I still have a strong affinity for Harrisburg to this day because of the time that was spent there. I picked up their culture of city life. My grandparents took us on tours of the city, to city events, the circus, annual parades and more. Especially when it came to things my grandparents valued such as religion and family. I am truly thankful for my experiences and the opportunity to be part of two cities.
