San Francisco is a city full of lights, sounds, and smells. It has districts that range from the sprawling business district to the world-famous Haight-Ashbury. It has delicious Mexican restaurants that neighbor what some consider to be the best Italian restaurants outside of Italy. On top of all this, San Francisco is a city that is alive all through the day and night because of the clubs, parties, and people up late for work.

Growing up in San Francisco is a unique experience that I have enjoyed. To me, San Francisco is more than a city—it has helped shape the person I am today. I have spent my life exposed to the diverse people that inhabit San Francisco and its streets. I now find myself a liberal person who agrees with gay marriage, is pro-choice, and is a Democrat.

Beyond influencing my political views, San Francisco is an international city that has introduced me to cultures from all over the world. I can go to Chinatown and be surrounded by the unique smells and foods, then walk two blocks to Korea Town or the Russian district and be engulfed by a whole new culture with its own unique smells, foods, and beliefs.

Coming to Deerfield has been an incredible change from my childhood in San Francisco. I have gone from a sprawling city to a school within a small village. More than this, though, nature now surrounds me rather than the buildings and cars I am used to.

I have had to adapt to being away from all the sound that comes with living in a city, and now, rather than being overwhelmed by sound, I sometimes find myself overwhelmed by the lack of sound. While not all the changes that come with moving from a large city to a small town are bad, I still come to find myself missing San Francisco, and its lights, sound, and smells.

Sloan Damon ’13 hails from San Francisco, California. He lives on Scaife I.