True Story: I’m Spending My Summer In The Country

Just another day in the country...

The summer before my freshman year of college, I packed my bags into the back of my car and drove to the big city. Cue the music, feel the rain on your skin, no one else can feel it for you… My blonde hair was whipping in the wind, my shades on. I was starting a whole new life, and although Raleigh, NC is nothing like LA and my life is far from an episode of The Hills, it was really exciting. I’m from a town where if you want to go to a mall, you have to drive forty-five minutes. A town where you can’t talk about someone, because chances are, it’s your friend’s second cousin.

By Christie

So I did what any big-city-living-in-the-country girl would do; I said eff that and moved to the state’s capitol.

Oh the city; when your skyline came into my view I screamed and threw my arms into the air, excited to reside within your warm arms. For an entire school year, I danced on your bars, shopped in your stores, and fell in love with your boys. But when the summer came, I pulled a Scarlett O’Hara (“Home. I’ll go home…”). I figured the country would give me time to relax, to detox, and, frankly, it was closer to the beach. Things would be serene, and all that.

Yeah, until I smelled my town before I even entered it. Serenity (and the sound of tractors) is only interesting for about a day. I miss the city! I miss the constant buzz, the bars, and the stores! You would think I learned my lesson the first time, yet here I am, my sophomore summer, sitting in a town with a Food Lion and that’s it.

What the hell was I thinking?!

Shopping
I have a shopping addiction. My family cringes when I walk through the door because, chances are, I will have at least one shopping bag in tow. Now I get excited when I go shopping in Food Lion, a grocery store, a mere 2 minutes away from our house.

Night life
I ask you this: why do people around here find hanging out in parking lots “fun”? Am I the only one who is confused by this?! Where I once got numbers, I now get mosquito bites.

Boys
Okay, so I have a boyfriend now, but when I was single living in the city was like living in a candy store. There were so many sweet things to choose from, it was hard to pick just one. Not only do cities promise more boys in one place, they’re way bigger so you’re less likely to be dating your best friend’s third cousin on their mom’s side who used to have braces and wet the bed. Okay, I just don’t need to know about all that. Not to mention how awkward it is when your friend finds out! Oh, the days when people laughed and pulled out old pictures. Let’s not even get started on how you are dating someone that another girl dated in the fourth grade, and she has yet to move on.

Okay, so it’s actually kinda nice to fall asleep to the sounds of crickets chirping instead of girls stumbling and laughing in the dorm hallway. It’s not half bad that I no longer have to hide my accent for fear of being called “big country”. But I’m still counting down the days until I see that skyline once more in August.

How about you guys? Are some of you not so happy to be home?