BY: JESSICA BEUKER
If you grew up in the country, away from the hustle and bustle of traditional big city life, you likely have a very different view of the world than someone who grew up in a metropolis. And when you swap childhood stories, there might even be a few things that you did that are so completely foreign to your city friends that they think are just downright weird.
Below are 5 things that you know to be true growing up in the country (and that your city friends think are weird).
1. You got your driver’s license the instant you turned 16 (but learned to drive long before that)
If you are a country person, than you know first hand just how important it is to get your driver’s license. That little card is so much more than a permit to drive – it’s a symbol of freedom. Because small towns and the countryside are not equipped with public transit, having your license is necessary in order to get around, go on dates, or hang out with your friends without having to be chauffeured around by your parents. If you’re from the countryside, you likely took your driver’s test the minute you turned 16. Although you probably learned to drive years before that in your dad’s pickup truck on dirt back roads. Your city friends on the other hand, might have waited years to get their license, and some don’t have theirs at all. Since Public transit is so cheap and easy to use, it’s a much more reliable option than being stuck in traffic for two hours on your way to work.
2. You strike up a conversation with anybody and everybody
There’s a reason they say that in small towns, everybody knows everybody’s business. When the population is extremely small, and you’re used to having day-to-day interactions with the exact same people, you can’t help but form a super close and tight-knit community. This mentality will stick with you forever, too. Your city friends are used to rushing through their day, plugged into their phones, and having minimal interactions with the barista who serves them coffee and the stranger who holds the door open for them. But you are much more friendly, moving at a slow pace, and taking the time to strike up a conversation with the people you come across throughout your day.
3. You didn’t have house parties, you had bush parties
A bush party is exactly what it sounds like – a party thrown in the bush (or in city-folk terms: a large, wooded area on the outskirts of town). If you were a teenager in the country, than I’d bet that you found yourself stumbling through the dark, 6-pack in hand, trying to follow the smell of smoke and the sounds of Kenny Chesney on more than one occasion. While your city friends spent their high school drinking days in someone’s 2-storey home, while their parents were out of town, you spent your partying days crushing beers around a bonfire and popping a squat by a tree.
4. You have definitely driven a tractor at some point
If you’re from the country than chances are that you either are a farmer, have a parent or family member that’s a farmer or know a farmer. Farming is the number one occupation in rural areas, and with miles of farmland surrounding you, you were definitely part of the farming community. Which means that you’ve definitely driven a tractor. Whether you sat on your dad’s knee and steered the wheel, or stole the tractor from your neighbour’s yard as a prank, this is one item that your city friends likely can’t cross off of their bucket lists.
5. You had to use your imagination
Rumour has it that small town, country life is boring. And yes, while it may be true that there is a lot less to do, – you can’t go to a movie, or shopping, or to an arcade at the drop of a hat like those who grew up in a city could – living in the countryside actually helped you to develop a strong imagination. All of those years spent playing outside, with no toys, no screens and absolutely nothing to do, forced you to get creative. So while your city friends might think that racing sticks down the river is a strange way to pass the time, you look back on those memories with fondness and an appreciation for nature and all that you had.
