As I prepared to return home to Pine Bluff, Arkansas, from college in Tampa, Florida, for spring break, there was one phrase I never thought I would hear: "Can I come back to Pine Bluff with you?"
Those were the words uttered by my roommate, Frank. Although I understood his desire to get out of town and not stay at college for spring break, it still perplexed me.
In my mind, Pine Bluff had nothing to offer, especially not to someone like Frank. His neighborhood in Queens was larger than my hometown, and Queens itself was almost as populous as the entire state of Arkansas. He grew up in the city that never sleeps, while I grew up in a town that shut down at 9 o'clock.
Despite my reservations, I was excited about taking my friend home with me. However, I must admit, I didn't know what Pine Bluff would have to offer.
Surprisingly, Frank didn't need Pine Bluff to offer anything. When we arrived, we weren't just tourists trying to find something to do; we were two college kids home for spring break, enjoying a well-deserved break from our academic studies.
In hindsight, we did quite a few things during our visit. We went to see some of my relatives, which was entertaining. We also drove to the capital, Little Rock, to watch the Ebony fashion show. On a separate day, we returned to Little Rock to hang out with my cousins and explore some areas there. To top it off, my mother's friend organized an old-school catfish fry.
Frank and I still talk about that trip a lot, often marveling at how fast it went by. By the time we were ready to leave, we probably could've stayed a few days longer. It surprised me, someone anxious to get out of Pine Bluff, that I was willing and interested in staying longer during that trip.
Looking back, it serves as a nice reminder that the locations you visit are just as important as the people you go there with. I'm fairly confident that if I had returned to Pine Bluff for spring break on my own, I wouldn't have had as entertaining of a time as I did with Frank. That trip back home with him gave me a new perspective and appreciation for my hometown.
I'm not saying that the trip convinced me to move back home, but it certainly made me appreciate it more than I had before.
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