For 15 years I have lived in a Washington State suburb about 30 minutes from Seattle. I was surrounded by well to do people who drove cars and wore suits or nice clothes to work. My neighborhood constantly had small kids running around and each year the kids seemed to get younger. New adolescents are becoming scares, but safe to say it is a normal life in my town. However, I was no longer living that lifestyle when I drove five hours to the middle of nowhere to attend The University of Idaho.

For those who have never traveled between Seattle and Moscow, ID, the most exciting thing you will see is some dead grass, a cow eating some dead grass, and a tree every 20 miles. There isn't much out there to say the least. So my first impression of course is that I will be attending a school in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of cowboys and farmers.

It's safe to say I was not incorrect, however I am also not disappointed. Going to The University of Idaho was one the best choices I have made. Being a city kid, however, in an area of farmers and people who only drive trucks, I was very out of place for a while.

Moscow, ID is a small town with very kind people, it isn't too busy most of the time, the night time is probably the most amazing time of the day here and they love their sports. That is the exact opposite of where I am from. My home town has a population of 40,000 so there are always people around me. It takes an extra 40 minutes to get to work due to rush hour, which continues off the highway and into my town. I am next to two of the most popular cities, Bellevue and Seattle, who are known for being extremely expensive and mostly clean (or at least Bellevue is mostly clean). The two most popular events to happen in my town are to eat and shop; very exciting. So with all this said moving from my home town to Moscow, ID was weird.

For those who live in a big city coming to a small one is hard to adjust at first. Everyone knows of each other in some way because they are all so close. Most of the students at the University live in Idaho resulting in a lot of them knowing each other or of each other. I can't even name everyone in my graduating class. Another difference is the size of the town. It is very easy to walk from one end of the shopping center to the other. It will take about 20 to 30 minutes. Back in Seattle I have to take breaks from walking so much. The size of the town is very convenient and everything is so easy to get to. It actually is an easy adjustment.

Another big adjustment is figuring out EVERYONE loves swing dancing here. It is pretty much the equivalent of the "Nae Nae" for farmers. Instead of "whipping" they do the pretzel. That adjustment was different because I had only done swing dancing in seventh grade when I was required to.

Another large change was the attire. People love their cowboy boots. In the city I do not think I saw a single cow boy boot worn on anyone. As well as the jeans. Those who work on a farm or work around areas like that have a lot of Wrangler jeans As well as cowboy hats. In one week I saw more cowboy hats in person than my whole life. This is not to say everyone at the University wears these, it just so happens I have never seen a farmer in the city before.

A very interesting and awesome fact I learned is people know way more about trucks and vehicles than I will ever know. My fraternity brother knows what kind of car drove by, the engine size and what is wrong with it, without even looking. His ears are so amazing that is like a dog hunting and finding a bird no one else sees. I am always in awe and feel inferior when all I can say about a car is that it is shiny.

The biggest difference I have found coming to The University of Idaho is the knowledge people here have obtained. A lot of the people I talk to have grown up on farms or have taken care of animals or trucks or plants. They know a lot about nature and what to do in certain situations regarding the outside. They are able to take care of animals like chickens, cows, horses and any other barnyard animals. They have gained so much knowledge and maturity of taking care of another living being that it astounds me every time. I visited a friend over the summer and her 10 year old brother raised and sold his own pigs already at the age of 10. He was very proper and polite and new how to care of himself and others better than I did when I was 15. Contemplating how able kids are to know how to do all this, get good grades and be social is insane to me.

Coming out to the University of Idaho was more than I expected. I did not think I would learn so much about trucks or chickens or the outdoors. I had the mindset I was rolling into hickville and I was very hesitant to be a Vandal. However, attending The University of Idaho has changed how I act around people and has opened my eyes to how farmers and country people are and how incredibly hard it is to be one. Coming out to a small town in Idaho was an adjustment and still feels weird when I go back home to see the buildings so close to me. City kids will never experience what country kids our age have experienced, but until you become friends with them you never will. Being in a small town can get claustrophobic after a while but being around so many amazing new people is what makes a small town so much bigger.