An 18-year-old girl moving from a small town to a large metropolitan area sounds like the beginning of every coming-of-age Hallmark film. People seem to be fascinated with the idea of such a large change and tend to ask me a lot of weird, funny and ridiculous questions. To paint a picture for you, my hometown has a population of 70,000 people, is in the middle of absolutely nowhere, with three public high schools and two private ones, one Target, no Urban Outfitters (ouch), a river, a single "skyscraper" that's 19 stories in height (which just so happens to be the state capitol) and a lot of baseball fields. Moving from a town where no one really locks their houses, kids roam free around the neighborhood, you start driving at 14 years old and the coolest place to hang out is the mall, Minneapolis is just a little different. Here is a list of some crazy things people have asked me about my move.
1. So, do you know every single person from your hometown?
No, but I can name every single kid from my Catholic high school graduating class of 69, most of their parents' jobs, how many siblings they have, where they went to college and probably what neighborhood they live in.
2. What do you do when you go home?
"Help my mom get fresh water from our well, play with my grandpa's cows and go to church every day" is what some people expect me to say, which isn't totally incorrect. My response usually goes something along the lines of:
Me: "Um...nothing really. I might see two friends from high school and hear about who is getting married next. I'll also probably go hunting."
Suburb Kid: "Wait, so...you like...shoot a gun?"
Me: "Yes..."
Suburb Kid: "How do you do that? Is it scary? Are you against vegans? What are your thoughts on gun control?"
Me: "No I have nothing against vegans, and no it is not scary!"
3. What is it like living in a big city?
This question is usually asked by people who stay in my hometown and think I am crazy for moving so far away. My answer is somewhere usually something like, "Well, campus is bigger than my hometown, public transportation isn't as scary as in movies (well at 5am, it can be), I get stuck in traffic every day, I pay $500 to live in a shoebox with girls from Asia and Minneapolis and, for some reason, I absolutely love it and all of the craziness around me."
4. Do you live on a farm or something?
Yes. I live in the middle of nowhere, have zero neighbors, the only boys I know are my cousins and I am a huge horse girl. My backyard was the set of the Hannah Montana Movie barn scene.
5. Was your school all preppy white kids?
"Ha, uhm, no. I mean, there was one gir...wait...nevermind."
6. Does your hometown love Donald Trump?
I mean, not everyone, I think?
7. Were there any cute guys in your high school?
*Brings up Instagram profiles.* "Decide for yourself."
8. What is the scariest thing to happen to you in the city?
"Well, one time I was at a concert on 4/20 (bad idea, for future reference) and seven people got arrested outside, there were three fistfights, someone got tased and then someone on a very illegal drug threw up on my feet, all within five minutes of the closing song." This simple story is a fool proof way to get anyone from my hometown to get extremely wide eyed and uncomfortable.
9. Is a sorority just a party club? We don’t have those here.
No! You will never find a drop of alcohol in our photos! Parties? Who is that? Never heard of her!
10. Can you see yourself moving back to your hometown?
Don't get me wrong--I love my hometown! But, for right now, the "big city" is where I am going to be staying for a while. Maybe one day after college I'll move back, but, until then, I will just enjoy the light rail.
I am sure a lot of people get strange questions when moving, and these are just a few of my favorites. I will be going home next week, so maybe I will receive more questions that I can laugh at later on. Until then, have a great week, yee haw and happy summer.
- Horse Girl
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