I grew up in the incredibly tiny town (if you could even call it that) of Borculo, Michigan. It is so tiny, in fact, that I did almost everything in the neighboring town of Zeeland. When you grow up in a small town, some things are inevitable. You know all of your neighbors, stores close ridiculously early (if there even are any!), you love dirt roads, etc. But what happens when you leave?
1. You can no longer fly down dirt roads.
Major. Bummer. I will never forget cruising the back roads to school everyday. This is still one of my favorite teenage memories. There were never any cops, so you can cut your travel time in half when heading into town. Such a blessing. I will also never forget the constant layer of dirt that covered my car, especially since I seldom washed it. Whoops, sorry Mom!
2. You have to go to an actual car wash.
While we're on the topic of car washes... how do those automatic ones even work?! You mean I can't just scrub my car down in the parking lot of my apartment complex or the back yard I don't have? Crap.
3. You no longer know everyone.
And I mean everyone. One weird thing about small towns is how well you know literally everyone that lives there ("Gilmore Girls", anyone?). First name, last name, wife's name, occupation, pet's names, which car they drive, where they go to school, favorite kind of pizza, cat's blood type, their family drama, you really know it all. Once you move away, you'll no longer know all of your neighbors. At first.
4. You can't see the stars.
One of my favorite memories from my childhood is laying out on the end of the dock at my grandparents' cottage in the middle of the night with my brother. Okay, it probably wasn't really the middle of the night, but it felt like it. Anyways, the stars lit up the sky in such an incredible and indescribable way. Depending on the size of the city you're moving too, you probably won't see the stars, at least not nearly as many.
5. You have to find a new coffee shop.
This is probably the hardest thing I had to do when I moved away. I'm kidding. Kind of. I had a favorite coffee shop, a favorite booth in said coffee shop, and a favorite barista who always made my favorite drink just right. That's just one perk of small town hospitality you just won't find anywhere else.
6. You feel so free.
It's incredible how cooped up you can start to feel by the time you graduate high school. I know I couldn't wait to run as far as I could from that town. There's such a big, big world out there just waiting to be explored.
7. You wonder how the people you grew up with never left.
This is something that continues to baffle me. Everyone claimed to hate our tiny town growing up and yet they're almost all in college thirty minutes away and still living with their parents. My advice? Leave. Get out and go see the world. You might find your new favorite town.
8. You will fall in love with your new town.
I sure did. I moved to the larger and far more awesome town of Marquette. I'm surrounded by hiking trails, Lake Superior, and fantastic local coffee shops. What more could I possibly need?!
9. You will miss home.
No matter where you go or how much you love your new town, your hometown is always your hometown. Simple as that. It will always bring a flood of memories when you drive through it. So, no matter how much you love your new home, never forget your hometown.
