When I was choosing a college, I knew that I absolutely DID NOT want to go to a small country school. I grew up in a small town (actually, to be more precise, a village), and my high school was surrounded by cornfields on all four sides. While Miami University is in a rural area, many of the students that attend are from cities, suburbs, or anything other than "the yeehaw," as I like to call it. To say I experienced a culture shock is an understatement. Here are 13 things that I discovered were completely ordinary in my small town but seemed strange to everyone else.
Knowing everyone in your class.
Hannah Horsington
Throughout school, I knew the names of everyone in my grade. I also knew what sports they played, what month their birthday was, where they lived, and their mom's name.
"Drive Your Tractor to School Day" is a thing.
While my school didn't have this annual event, many of the ones near me did. And yes, it's exactly like it sounds. Kids drove the family tractor/truck/farm equipment to school.
There are very few clubs.
Hannah Horsington
DECA? A school news broadcast? Debate team? I could only DREAM of having those at my school.
FFA, however, is extremely popular.
Future Farmers of America, or FFA, is a favorite among kids who live in my area. My school was so small, though, that we didn't even have that. But if we did, it would have been the most popular club.
Using the word "yeehaw" as an adjective.
Hannah Horsington
As in, "I come from a very 'yeehaw' town."
There is at least one "teacher couple"...
In a small school, the chances are that there is at least one married couple that works for the school.
...and you've probably been to their house.
They also probably had children who also attended the school. And if you happened to be friends with them, you might have played the Wii at 1 a.m. with your former high school principal reading the news in the room above you.
Pickup trucks are everywhere.
Hannah Horsington
Since being on campus, the number of pickup trucks I've seen daily has greatly decreased.
The air commonly smells like farm animals.
Hannah Horsington
In my town, it was cows. We knew a local farmer was working in the fields when we walked out of the school and were hit with the overwhelming smell of cow.
We don't have school on the first day of hunting season.
So many kids would miss school on the first day of deer season that they just decided not to have it.
The "13 Year Club."
Hannah Horsington
At my school, we had the "13 Year Club" picture in the yearbook, made up of seniors who had attended the same school district all 13 years. We only had one elementary school, one middle school, and one high school - so yes, we were all together THE ENTIRE TIME.
There are no secrets.
When you live in a small town, word travels fast. And since everybody knows everybody else, all gossip is interesting.
Everyone is there for each other.
Hannah Horsington
When you live in a small town, any little thing can affect the entire population. Small town citizens learn to lean on each other, because it's all we have.
As strange as some of these things may seem, my small-town childhood seemed completely normal to me. I love that I am having the opportunity to learn about different places, upbringings, and cultures in college. I love that I get to tell people things about my hometown and see the completely puzzled looks on their faces when I say things like, "Oh yeah, we had the first day of deer season off school" (which is the moment that inspired this article). And I love that even if I live in a city someday, I'll still have the ability to drive a truck and correctly identify the smell of cows. I will always cherish my childhood in the "yeehaw." There really is nothing like a small-town life.
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