I needed to move to Ypsilanti to attend Eastern Michigan University. I come from a small town named Jeddo located in the thumb of Michigan. Small town living is vastly different from living in the city. These are some things I wish I knew before making the move.

1. Self-control

In my small town, the closest Walmart is at least half an hour away. A simple trip to the store would need hours set aside to go. In Ypsilanti, everything is so much closer. Rather than a half an hour drive, it's only about ten minutes from the university. My favorite fast food place is Wendy's. From my house, the drive is about twenty-eight minutes. From the university, the drive is about eight minutes. This has become a problem for me. I struggle with self-control, so having something I love so close by makes it hard for me to resist. I wish I knew better self-control skills.

2. Crime

I grew up in an area with no crime within an approximately 15-mile radius. A lot of gunshots could be heard from my house, but that was mostly during hunting season. Otherwise, the "gunshots" I heard were actually fireworks. In Ypsilanti, that's not always the case. Shootings seem to happen about once every two to three weeks. Even the more populous area that my school was located in, there wasn't much violent crime. It came as quite a shock the first time there was a shooting nearby. I wish I knew how much crime, in comparison to home, I would be surrounded by.

3. Culture

The culture that can be found in a city like Ypsilanti is awesome. Most people I know from home either work or live on a farm. The others lived in the village my high school was in. In Ypsilanti, everyone has such a different background. I've even met a few people that have come from different continents. I'm often fascinated when I get into a conversation with someone new. Everyone is brought up with a different background. I wish I would have known more about the world outside of my town.

4. Nature

My house is surrounded by fields with some crops growing in them. In other words, it's very open. In Ypsilanti, there are a lot of buildings, and some of them are quite tall. I live on a dirt road, so lamp posts aren't really a thing. I am so used to seeing a sky full of stars. I often spent time looking for some constellations. In Ypsilanti, the stars seem to have disappeared. I wish I would have appreciated nature more at home.

5. Homesickness

The drive back to my house is two to two and a half hours. I don't have a driver's license, so my parents have to come to pick me up. That's about five hours in a car. It's difficult to put that time aside, so I don't get to go home too often. I miss home a lot. I was so excited to get away from my brothers, but now that I'm gone, I realize how much I actually miss them. I miss my five animals at home. I miss my parents and the friends I left behind. I wish I knew how hard being away from home was going to be.