2025/Spencer-

Home to me is a place where I have lived and enjoyed. A place where I grew up in, and always look back to and think about. A place where there is a good community with good people who I shared adventure with. Home is where I made memories, good and bad. Somewhere where I had many adventures and can share the stories and experiences I had with other people. Massachusetts is that place for me.

This place is home to me because of the area it was in. There are a lot of cool things to do and look at. This area is where America started and gained independence. Exploring New England was a really fun thing to do. So when school was over and the weekend was about to begin we would go exploring. When my family was just starting we lived in this area. Me and a lot of my siblings were born while we lived in Maryland. My mom also grew up in Rhode Island for part of her life. My family eventually moved to Massachusetts. When we would go exploring we went to a lot of places that my family used to live. One time we went back to Maryland and I saw where I used to live and my birth place. We also went to Rhode Island and saw the mansions that my mom used to cater for. My family also went on a lot of hikes and camping occasionally. Especially in the Fall. The leaves were so colorful and the area would light up with many shades of orange, red, and yellow. The smell of apples and cider lingered in the air. The mossy trees and woods were also really fun to go camping in during the summer. There were many places close by to go experience things.

The base that I lived on also made this place feel like home. The house that I lived in was really, really nice. It was one of the best houses that I lived in out of all of the other places I lived. We also had a willow tree behind our house, it would provide a lot of shade and it was fun to hear the leaves rustling as a cool breeze blew by. Further behind the house was a parking garage and behind that was a park. There were also a lot of open areas surrounding the park. When I was younger I would play four square at the garage and games at the park. The primary and middle school were part of the same building and it was only a two minute walk from my house. The base was also fairly small so everything was within biking distance, which was really nice. The base was also part of the minuteman trail, and it was fun to go on the trail and be a couple minutes from home.

The people and community were another thing that really made Massachusetts feel like home. Me and my brother would meet up with our friends in the morning and walk to school with them. After school we would also walk home together. When all of my homework was done or if I had no plans over the weekend, I would go biking. Biking in New England is really fun and something I did all the time. I would meet up with my friends and then we would just bike all over base. Sometimes we would bike over a bridge crossing a creek and through fields and empty parking lots, until we got to the skatepark. We would also occasionally bike to the commissary and buy snacks, and come home to eat them.

To me, this is what makes a place home. A place where I made many memories, good and bad, but I learned from them. A place where the house was good and the area was amazing. Somewhere where I made friends and met good people. Home is where I had adventures and good experiences that I will never forget. This is why I call Massachusetts home.