Just a Small Town Girl.....

I have lived in the small town of Hermann, Missouri all of my life. The town consists of 2,500 people, and the closest Wal-Mart is 40 minutes away. A trip to the mall was an all-day event, and our fast food is Subway, until my junior year of high school we finally got a Hardee's. My grade school class had a whopping 15 people in it, and my graduating high school class was around 80. Everyone knew everyone, and to me that was probably the most annoying thing ever. Until recently, I never really appreciated my home town, but now I realize how great my roots really are.

I have no problem with city people, and do not mean to make anyone upset. Some of my best friends are from the city and I actually want to live in Chicago someday, so I will become a complete city person. But there is a definite difference in people who come from a small farm town, and people who grew up in the city. It's the small things. Guys are probably one of the biggest differences. City guys usually don't talk with a draw, twang, accent, or just plain slow, and they usually dress a little more in fashion. Country guys tend to wear whatever , without a real sense of knowing what looks really good, or know what's the hot thing on the market right now, and you can usually tell from a guy's dialect if he's from a small town.

Although small town guys don't usually dress as hip, they have a very old-fashioned view on how to treat women. You can usually expect a small town guy to do things by the book. Such as open doors for you, pay for the meal, compliment your outfit, etc. Whereas city guys aren't so much as likely to do things in this way. I think it's because guys in the city are used to women starting to have more power in the work place and such, so they look at them like an equal. If I open the door for you, you should open the door for me. Or if I pay for the meal tonight, you should pay for it tomorrow. Nonetheless, both types of guys are awesome, there's just a definite difference.

Another thing I've noticed is keeping friends after high school. And I know this does NOT apply to all people, situations, etc. I've just noticed it a lot with the people I've met. Kids that grow up in big schools in the city don't seem to keep in touch as well with their friends, or at least keep in touch with many people from high school. Of course, there is always going to be two, three, maybe 4 that you talk to often, but that's about it. I think that it is like this because in big schools there are so many kids that you have many different friends, not so much a lot of close friends, but a lot of friends. In a small town you are forced to hang out with the same people almost your whole life. Your best friends are your best friends from day 1, and you are with them all of the time. This may be because you and your best friends really hit it off, or simply there's no one else and that's who you ended up with. I keep in touch with so many people still to this day, after two years of college. I still consider them my best friends, and I still have many of the same friends I had in high school. I don't go to college with ANY of them now, and maybe will only see them a handful of times throughout the year, but we make time for each other, and talk almost every other day.

Family is last but of course not least. And this is probably the craziest part of all. Until I came to college, there was a lot about life that I was very naive about. First of all, I thought everyone was like me and my friends from back home and I thought everyone's families, including aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, great-aunts and uncles, second cousins.... etc. all lived in the same town as you, or at least within a half hours drive. Then I came to Lindenwood and met people who live in Chicago, and their aunt and uncle lived in South Carolina, and their grandparents lived in Pennsylvania, and their cousin now lives in Florida, and you get the picture. It was really hard for me to understand growing up and not being able to go to my grandma's house every Sunday for family dinner, and by family, I mean EVERYONE. I've really come to appreciate how I was raised and where I was raised. It's crazy to think about things being any different. But even though I appreciate my childhood, I can't wait to live in the city and experience that lifestyle too! It's an experience I'm definitely ready for!
http://www.hermannmissouri.com