After going home again for the weekend and coming back to St. Paul, I sort of had culture shock. It seems like it happens every time I go home for a weekend and then come back to the cities. I lived and grew up in Southwestern Minnesota for 18 years of my life. So, whenever we went to the cities for a fieldtrip or wedding it was like a treat for us country/small town kids. We would get so excited to see the tall buildings, the lights, hear the sounds, people watching and just gazing out of our window once we got to the cities.

I always dreamed of living in the big city: the State Capitol! There are more opportunities, more people, more culture. In High School, after I realized I wanted to go into the legal field I started to picture myself walking to work in downtown St. Paul or Minneapolis wearing a business suit and heels with my coffee and briefcase. That is still my dream.

I still want to be that powerful, confident, and intelligent woman.

This weekend was the first time I went home in over two months. Once I got there, it was like nothing changed other than not having a bedroom to sleep in. I felt "right at home." Obviously, it was a little odd being back and not having to worry about doing my chores or seeing the changes my parents have made in the house. And whenever I go home, I never want to leave. I miss it; I miss my family, the small community, my pets, and the smallness. But then as soon as I am in the cities again I am totally comfortable and fine.

While I was on my way back to St. Paul I was sort of baffled, because I was realizing how different the cities are. How different people are but also how I feel totally comfortable in both country/small town and big city. I asked myself, how can I be comfortable in both? I grew up in one and the other I have been living in completely independently for the last almost three years.

So, how is that I can grow up in a very small town my entire life and then be comfortable living on my own in the big city?

Adaptation? Distraction? Support? All of those three things must have had some sort of effect on me. The mental and physical adaptation into college and the culture of the city can be hard but it happens with the help of family, friends, and meeting new people. The classes, work and people are the distractions into the transition. The support of family, friends, professors, and new college friends that are going through the same thing are the support. I am sure there is more to decipher but that is all I got for now.

Now that it is my senior year at Hamline, I am busier than ever. With an internship, classes and a couple of jobs to keep me super busy I am getting closer and closer to becoming that women I wanted to be. Being able to dress up for my internship at a law firm and carrying around my coffee mug has empowered me in a way. Being able to say that I am senior and interning at a law firm in St. Paul makes me feel so great about my future.

I am finally feeling like a city girl but with country girl roots. Those roots include; hunting, skinning deer, eating all kinds of different game, the fact that I am calling animals "game", being able to feel really comfortable walking all over town, and graduating with a high school class of 35.

Now when I get introduced to someone and they ask me where I live I say St. Paul. And I take public transport, visit MOA, shop at Target, meet a lot of new and interesting people, go to coffee shops, concerts and other events.

I can’t even imagine how much my life is going to change when I graduate from college and start working full-time in the big city. *Fingers-crossed*