Getting out in the real world you meet a lot of people who were born in raised in the city -- sounds pretty terrible, yet not so bad at the same time. Here are a few things those city folks just can't seem to understand about my little country town.
We have to leave the house early for work, and school too.
Sure, there aren't 200 car traffic jams that are at a standstill for up to an hour like in the big city making your commute to and from work long, but there is something that may be worse... tractor jams. During planting and harvest season, you better believe you have to leave for work early! Everyone from a little country town knows this all too well. Our towns are built on agriculture; it might even be your dad or brother on the tractor parked at the stoplight beside you.
No, we don't have a movie theater or mall. Yes, we are OK with that.
Growing up where there is no movie theater or mall is not as bad as it sounds. The road trips at least 45 miles away -- sometimes up to 90 miles -- are actually really fun! It gives plenty of time for sibling fights, singalongs to whole albums, or sometimes an artist's whole career, and road games. If you have never counted more trucks on your way to see a movie than cars, you probably do not understand this. No mall means you have more money. No movie theater means more family game nights. Growing up without these things makes you appreciate life just a little bit more.
We can't do anything our mama won't find out about.
Kiss a boy? Spraypaint a bridge? Sneak out? Go get ice cream with someone new? Your mom knows whether you think she does or not. Word travels fast, and someone that knows you is always going to spot you -- and tells your mom or someone else who is going to. You may think you have the best plan to get away with something, but chances are, your mama has done it plus some. She knows every trick in the book and has spies everywhere. Have fun trying to sneak around with Little Johnny from down the street.
We cannot talk about anyone unless it is to our very best friend.
You may not like Big Susie from Canal Street, but you better keep that to yourself. If you go around telling it she will find out. How? Big Susie is more than likely related to half the town. Odds are you just told her aunt, uncle or fifth cousin twice-removed how much you hate her. Best keep your mouth shut.
We know everyone in our graduating class and their whole life story.
Chances are, the same people you went to kindergarten with are the same ones you are graduating with and there are fewer than 100 of you -- probably fewer than 50 if we are being honest. You know who has dated who, who parties and who doesn't, everyone's parents and grandparents, how much money their family has and what they want to do with their lives. When you are around the same people eight out of 12 months a year for over 12 years, you tend to learn about them whether you like them or not.
We all are dying to get out, but no one really leaves.
No one wants to stay in our little country town growing up. The older you get the more talk you hear about moving off, going to the big city, and never coming back. Everyone would kill to skip high school and go to college so they never have to see their little town again. But if you look around, everyone is still here, moving back home after their four fun-filled years at college, or calling Mama every day, home sick.
Physically we leave; mentally we are little town, country folk who fry everything and know everyone. We love our simple lives whether we realize it or not.
