I live in a rural town in Connecticut called Redding. My mother chose this town because she wanted us to grow up in a peaceful and quiet place where we would appreciate nature. Redding is a town where there are no street lights, no chain stores, and no means of public transportation except the West Redding Train Station. Growing up in this town, I had a lot of memories of living near the nature.

My house is located on Gallows Hill where a spy and an escapee got executed by General Putnam in February 1779. Some people say this place is haunted, but I feel very safe and peaceful growing up there. We only have eight neighbors who live on our road that is about a mile long and shaped like the number six. Since there are barely any cars on the road, it is safe for us to walk and run around. In spring and early fall, you can see neighbors walking with their dogs, friends biking on the road, and deer in the backyard stealing flowers from the garden. In summer, in the early morning, you can hear woodpeckers breakfasting by picking worms from trees; you can see bees and humming birds flying around the garden and squirrels chasing around each other. At night time, you can hear peepers singing around the pond; you can see some fireflies spotting around and the stars scattered up in the night sky. In winter, you can take a walk in the snow or build a snowman.

At the same time, as a teenager growing up in a rural town can be lonely. Here is home besides observing all the creatures living around us, there is not much to do for teenagers who are looking for opportunities and exciting places to spend their energy. Besides that, the lack of transportation made it difficult for teenagers to get together. However, I do appreciate growing up near the nature, it taught me to respect the environment that we are part of, and respect other species that are living with us.