“I moved to the Upper Valley nearly three years ago, and it took me a while to find my footing. I met my first friend in the first few weeks at the JAG summer concert series. I went by myself and noticed someone ahead of me who looked about my age and like she might be by herself too. We struck up a conversation and ended up watching that show together. She is part of my core community up here.
It took a while to build up my community. One of the things I love so much about the Upper Valley is the value people place on having a strong community – people have grown strong bonds that have been established for years, or even generations. That is a really special thing, and the flip side of that is it can be hard to establish those bonds. I found that through playing pick-up volleyball.
I remember seeing someone post about playing on the Upper Valley Listserv, and for maybe the first time since I moved I felt like I had an in where I could finally find my footing. When I showed up the first week and the doors were locked so we couldn’t play, I cried. The next week, after banging on the doors to flag down the custodian, we were able to play. That is when I met the people who, still today, anchor me to this place and enabled me to really identify Hartford as my home. It is a goofy, eclectic group of people ranging in age and personality, and I am so grateful for them and the chance to spend time with them each week.”
– Michaela Lavelle, Hartford, VT
