The little things you’ll only get if you grew up in East Hanover, NJ

Over my 16 years living in my small hometown in Northern New Jersey, then going to school in Indiana, I’ve learned that East Hanover is extremely unique. With our high Italian population and our church being the setting for Snooki’s wedding there’s a lot that people from other places don’t understand. I’ve compiled a list of things that growing up in East Hanover, NJ has taught me (and everyone else that lived in my town).

What it’s like to appreciate all kinds of weather

I attended Hanover Park High School, HP for short.

Where my school may look normal from the outside, I assure you that’s not the case. From the time I was a freshman in high school I was prepared for college – well maybe not academically. My high school was an outdoor campus. It was pretty much a college campus, only smaller. I was accustomed to walking outside in the rain, snow, sun, you name it we had it. I even fell in on the ice once or twice. So, thanks HP for teaching me the value of the weather.

The definition of  ‘walking’ on Friday afternoons

In middle school, every Friday hundreds of adolescents would hand in their pink “walker” passes and processed to “walk” home from school. What did “walking” entail? Honestly, it was just a lot of soliciting and us getting yelled at by the owner of CVS, 7/11, and Dunkin Donuts, but it was still something that all the cool kids did from sixth to eighth grade.

Only bagels from East Hanover are Instagram worthy

I don’t care what anyone says, Bagels 4 U has the best Taylor Ham, Egg and Cheese known to man and it tastes even better when it’s attached to a post with over 100 likes.

 Almost everyone from East Hanover has posted a photo of their bagel before, it’s a rite of passage. If you don’t do it, are you even from EH? Oh, and if you don’t know what Taylor Ham is, just know it tastes better than Google makes it sound.

We all grew up right near where Oreos are manufactured

Nabisco headquarters is right on River Road in East Hanover, NJ and when I’m home I pass that baby every day. It’s pretty cool to know that a lot of my favorite snack foods are manufactured right where I live because, I mean come on, Oreos are amazing and at any point I can jump the fence into Nabisco and steal some…. just kidding, but it’s still cool I promise. Also, all their food boxes say East Hanover, NJ so we’re kind of a big deal.

How cutthroat the Senior Scavenger Hunt really is

It’s a tradition that some time in November or December the whole senior class comes together in the school parking lot at night, breaks up into teams and tries to win the infamous Senior Scavenger Hunt. With its reputation of being “rigged” every year since I remember, there was still something so exciting about having to drive all over town in order to TP a stranger or put lipstick on a man.

Over two years later and I’m still acknowledging that my team won.

Still going to the shore for junior prom weekend, even though we didn’t have a prom

Going to the Jersey Shore after prom is a tradition. Three days in a sleazy motel on the seaside boardwalk with all your friends is the best way to have fun when you’re from Jersey. When my high school stopped having a junior prom, we all rebelled and still went down the shore. It was something definitely unique to my class since we even started the trend “No Prom, No Problem”.

The definition of a ‘Swale’

You probably think I’m insane, but a swale is real I swear.

I guess we can call the Swale by it’s proper name of a brook or stream, but it’ll always be a Swale to me. Even when I came to Indiana and saw they have a stream running through campus I yelled that there was a Swale and people thought I was crazy. Us East Hanover kids know that the Swale is where all the freshman go on the first day of school.

I may make fun of where I’m from, but at the end of the day you can take the girl out of Jersey but can’t take Jersey out of the girl. I’m a born and bred Jersey girl no matter how you look at it and my little town of East Hanover will always be a part of me.