“Binghamton is not real” is something I say on a daily basis. There are multiple reasons why I feel this way, but the easiest way to describe it is that Binghamton doesn’t feel like it’s part of my actual reality. It’s such a far-off place, that it just simply doesn’t feel real. I might just sound completely delusional right now, but from the people to the school to the actual city itself, Binghamton just feels like something straight out of some type of old film. Everytime I come back to Bing, it feels like I dissociate completely from my “reality” that is NYC and I’m suddenly faced with a new life. Where others always wish to go back because of how unreal Binghamton feels, I actually enjoy it here. As much as I clown on how horrific it is here and how there’s no good food, et cetera et cetera, there’s just a charm here I don’t feel when I’m back home. For the most part, I do believe it’s due to the independence I feel when I’m in Binghamton. I enjoy being alone in an environment where I won’t have family members hovering and doing things as I please. I enjoy being free.
Binghamton gives me a sense of freedom I can’t have in the city. Being able to randomly decide to get out of my dorm room and take a walk at 5 a.m. is not something I can simply do back home in the city. It’s safer here, allowing me to do this, but most importantly, I’m not bound by anything here. I’m able to just up and get out to do random things whenever I want. Back home, I’m held back by parents and the dangers of society and the city, but here… here I am free. I’m free to spread my wings and just do whatever I please.
So… yes. Binghamton isn’t real. To me, it feels like a dream because of how free it allows me to be. I know everyone doesn’t feel the same as I do, but I hope everyone understands what I mean when I say Binghamton just has an air to it that’s unlike what our hometowns are like… and that’s what makes Binghamton so unreal.
Jenny Zhao
Publicity Chair
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