You know literally everyone else your age. From your childhood elementary school through high school, for better or worse, you know all the other teenagers, and have been able to pick and choose your friend groups. You’re easily Facebook friends with your entire high school, and any drama that goes down spreads really quickly.
You only had one grocery store, and you only had one or two chain restaurants in town. And when one of those chain restaurants goes out of business or gets replaced, you better believe it’s the most talked-about event all year. This past year, our McDonalds got remodeled and it was the talk of the town for months, and the reopening was a monumental event.
You don’t give directions, you give approximations. Your directions usually involve something like “turn left at the old post office” or another general statement based on buildings only other people familiar with town know about. Since Google Maps is basically useless out in the middle of nowhere, giving people directions usually involves lots of approximations.
The town fair was probably the most social event all year. Like, ever. Those five days of horse racing and rusty, terrifying rides were the highlight of the year, and almost everyone skipped school most of that week to go. If you miss the fair, you’ve basically missed the only thing people will be talking about for the rest of the year.
Looking back, you have no idea how you spent your free time. Seriously, in a town with one movie theater and a rundown bowling alley, most of my social life consisted of wandering around downtown with friends. When people ask what you did growing up, your answer probably involves a lot of, “umm… uh… I don’t actually know.”
Going home means seeing everyone you know. It can be really uncomfortable, and there’s a more than likely chance you’ll run into someone you didn’t get along with working in the local grocery store. It’s like an unwanted, really uncomfortable high school reunion, and you get to experience it pretty much every day you’re home. Remember, hiding is always an option.
You probably celebrate a really unique holiday. In my hometown, we had Chester Greenwood day. Don’t know who he is? He’s the guy who invented earmuffs, and every year there’s a parade through town and everyone walks around in earmuffs all day. In a town where not much happens, it’s another one of those big social events that everyone comes to.
As much as you don’t want to be, there’s a tiny part of you that can’t believe you can see like ten restaurants from your apartment window. But in so many ways, it gives you an appreciation for the life you grew up with, and how much more there is for you to experience, knowing that home will never change.
