Vermont is a tiny little state, and when you grow up there it is easy to feel a bit like you’re flying under the radar. Whenever a Vermonter makes it on to the National scene, you can’t help but feel like a celebrity by association. Hell, even coming across a ‘Made in VT’ sticker in a Chicago store fills me with an indescribable amount of state pride (usually followed immediately by sticker shock). Suffice it to say, watching Bernie Sanders run for the democratic ticket has been a bit of a thrill. Seeing his campaign take off has not only made me so proud to be from such a liberal state, but it has also increased my homesickness ten fold. So in the interest of indulging my eighteen year old self, here is a list of the top five things I miss about my home state. (I’m sure my sister will use this against me in her ongoing attempts to lure me home).

The Politics
In terms of politics, Illinois and Vermont are pretty much night and day. It’s very telling, for instance, when you travel abroad and the one thing people consistently identify with your city is it’s history of organized crime (thank you, Al Capone). Vermonters (at least in Burlington, where I am from) are a delightfully liberal bunch. I always laugh when I hear people in Chicago talk about ‘farm-to-table’ and co-ops like they are these revolutionary new ideas. I mean, they might be in some places, but in Vermont ‘farm-to-table’ was just…dinner. Continue reading →