I was born and raised in a suburb of Los Angeles and never really had much experience with rural areas. Until I came to school at St. Lawrence, I didn't know "village" was an actual term used to describe an area where people lived. I spend a lot of times asking my friends from rural areas and about their lifestyles because I did not know some states do not have any billboards in them.

When I tell my friends at home that the closest Starbucks is an hour away they wonder how I survive in "the middle of nowhere" upstate New York. At home, there were three Target stores within a 15-minute radius so I was surprised to find out that there was one Target in Vermont. Many hours have been spent on Google Maps comparing my city to my friends homes and laughing about how my area is nothing but houses and theirs is nothing but trees for miles. When people tell me that they graduated with classes less than 50 I am astounded because multiple public high schools have similar enrollment rates to that of my college. I am used to living in a city; nevertheless, I am adjusting to and learning more about rural areas and the differences between them and the suburbs of LA.

It surprises me when my friends in rural areas have never heard of places like Cheesecake Factory and other nationwide places, even though they're nationwide they are not in some areas.

While living in a city may have lead me to be naive about rural living, I love learning about it and comparing the differences. And while I may not have all the experience hiking mountains or have any stories about cows roaming the streets, I am enjoying every moment of learning about where my friends at school are from.