This week, I finally moved back home after a summer of living in Louisville, where I spent my time working an internship, going to the mall, and – as always – convincing myself it wouldn’t be wise to claw my way out of my car window during rush hour traffic.
But truly, I love living in the city. I love the endless possibilities it brings. I love the busy streets and bustling people and buildings that stretch up to touch the sky. I was born to live there.
However, I was not born there. I was born and raised nearly 150 miles away in a small town in western Kentucky and that’s where I’ll be staying for the next few weeks until I move back to start my sophomore year at UofL. But even though I’ll only be home for a short amount of time, I know I’m bound to experience a few things that can only be found in a small town. Some things just never change.
8. My epic return demands a family reunion.
Like I said, it’s a small town – so naturally everyone knows when the youngsters that “went off to University” have finally come back home. In my case, it calls for a full-on family reunion. All the sweet, elderly ladies from my church hug me too tightly during the Sunday service and give me lipstick kisses on my cheek. My parents invite all my great aunts and uncles out to dinner so that everyone can ask me different versions of the same basic questions -- including but not limited to 1. What did you do all summer? 2. What’s your major again? 3. Do you have a boyfriend yet?
It also consists of my grandparents coming over just to look at me. You read that correctly. They just want to put their eyes on me and know I’m home. Maybe it’s a small town thing.
7. Forget about finding a decent mall.
Long gone are the days when I was just a short drive away from some of the best and largest malls in the state of Kentucky. Now I must make do with “Uncle Lee’s”, "Rural King", and "Tractor Supply Company." Something tells me none of them will fill the hole in my heart that exists now that I live hours away from Forever 21.
6. Speaking of shopping. Hey, Walmart. Long time no see.
When I was living in Louisville, I avoided Wal-Mart at all costs -- and it was easy to do because I had so many other options. Kroger, Target, Whole Foods – really, the possibilities were endless. But the only grocery store my town has is a Walmart, where the riff-raff seek refuge and it’s impossible to make a trip without running into at least half the county while I’m there. You'd think we could find a better place for a social gathering.
5. Saying “I’m going into town” doesn’t quite have the same effect.
Now that I’ve lived and worked in downtown Louisville, telling my mom “I’m going into town” and asking her if she needs anything seems almost silly. My town’s handful of stoplights and snazzy McDonald’s doesn’t seem like much, but you best believe that’s “downtown.”
4. “Wanna go drive around or something?”
Coming home also means reuniting with long lost high school friends! However, it seems that my friends and I run into a timeless problem: there’s nothing to do in Small Town, USA. We live in the middle of nowhere. Eventually someone will make the infamous suggestion: “Wanna go drive around or something?” We all groan and complain, but eventually we’re driving down backroads, car dancing and singing off key to every song on the radio.
3. Colloquial phrases and sayings are finding their way back into my daily conversations.
Where else but a small town can you hear phrases like “the swimmin’ hole”, “it’s over yonder”, and “I’m fixin’ to”? Whether it’s my mother finishing a story with “bless his heart” or my great aunt Nancy telling me to “give her some sugar” – Small Town, USA has a language all its own. Only a few of y’all will be able to decipher it.
2. Dining possibilities are few and far between.
Another thing that plagues small towns is the lack of variety, especially when it comes to food choices. In my town, we have so few restaurants we tend to refer to them by what they serve -- i.e. The Mexican Restaurant, The Chinese Restaurant, etc. But it doesn’t take long until my family and I have eaten at all of the options – including fast food. If there’s a time when I miss the city most, it’s right around dinnertime. However, Louisville has nothing on some home cooked southern comfort food – with a glass of sweet iced tea, of course.
1. But one thing remains: I’m finally home.
It’s not the exciting city I’ve grown to love. It isn’t bustling or busy and the buildings don’t reach up to touch the sky. I can’t eat whatever I want whenever I want and I can’t go rock climbing or take a trip to the mall or go to any art shows.
But the people are kind. The familiarity is warm. And despite all my complaining, I am so glad to be back in Small Town, USA.
I’m finally home.
