A sign found at a performance by DCP @ Northwestern High School’s dance team, the Diamond Divas.

Before I started Challenge Detroit, I spent ten weeks in Jakarta, Indonesia. I had never been so far from the States, and while the novelty was cool for a while, there were so many times this summer I found myself thinking “I just want to go home.”

Home. In one word, that is what Detroit is to me. Out of all the places I’ve lived or visited, Detroit has felt like home from the moment I got here in a way no other city has. And for the longest time, I couldn’t quite place why.

In the past month, unexpected encounters have helped me come closer to putting this sentiment into words. From happening upon a little known farmer’s market and having the coordinator take the time to show me every aspect of his farm to visiting the dance team at the DPS high school I worked at last year and being greeted by a crowd of hugs, it is in these little moments that I am reminded of how much I love being here.

Someone recently told me that service should just be about being yourself, about going through life how you normally would, and simply treating others as people along the way. I have had so many encounters this past month, whether a wave Hi or a short conversation or a passing smile, that have left me feeling so loved and valued. That is what the spirit of this city is. And just being in this place and in this community is an opportunity I am so thankful to have.

As I reflect on my goals for this year long fellowship, I realize it isn’t so much about what I can provide to the city of Detroit or what my vision for the city is. I am one of hundreds of thousands of people in this city, one of millions of stories that have originated here. The sense of belonging this city gives me is far more than anything I could offer in return. I only hope I can embody even a little bit of its spirit in my time here.