-
Essay / Small town life isn't for everyone
I grew up in a town with a population of just six thousand. As much as I loved growing up in Hope, British Columbia, it was far from easy. People who struggle with having no chance of privacy, having to make fun of nothing, and having to drive over forty minutes for a Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme will never be able to live in a small town. In Hope, everyone knows my name, and unfortunately, that means they know all my stuff too. Not only does the cashier at my grocery store know me by name, but she also knows that I bought a pregnancy test last week and is sure to ask me, unusually loudly, how the test went. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayLiving the wild teenage life of sneaking out on dates, stealing alcohol, and making out racing with old cars at the airport, was curbed when I inevitably spotted my manager, mayor or boss on nights out. Teenagers are often talked about because they are the only ones bringing something interesting to the streets. In a small town, people must choose whether to speak or to be talked about. People who cannot conform to any of these choices will not last very long in any district. As a teenager growing up in Hope, I didn't have much to do for fun, so my friends kept me busy by doing everything my parents told me not to do. We all got drunk, had sex, did drugs, and climbed to the top of our local high school. The alcohol supply came from our older siblings or the only boy in our class who looked old enough not to have his ID checked at the liquor store. If someone's parents planned to be out of town for the weekend, their home would be a victim of our weekend party. We all knew our parents gave us these rules and lessons so they could say they were good parents, but we also knew they were devils during their high school years too. Unless the people who live here are willing to participate in the acceptable pastime of driving in circles around town until the street lights come on at night, they must be breaking the existing rules. Most newcomers to small towns have difficulty with this; however, they learn to adapt quickly, or they move away. Having a car is a necessity in Hope, as the nearest “anything” is at least a half-hour drive away on the highway. Driving to Hope has become such a routine that every time a major chain store opens remotely near Hope, my whole town goes crazy. The store has been the talk of the neighborhood for years. Sure, I have to drive a long distance to get to the store, but if I have to go into town to buy dog food next week anyway, the drive means nothing to me. If I had to write down the most memorable events of my life on a list, it would look like this: My high school graduation. The birth of my first niece. The grand opening of Walmart, which is forty minutes from my house. Even though living in Hope as a teenager forced me to become a reckless person that no one could take seriously for a long time, I would never change anything about my life when I was growing up. My small town has given me something no city dweller will ever have..