Elizabeth Moore - Assignment 22 - I'm a small town girl ;)

My parents, I think, would be considered strange by the rest of society. My dad grew up in rural northeastern Kentucky in a little town called Russel, and my mom grew up in Louisville, then Hopkinsville in rural western Kentucky, where my grandfather got a job as police chief. And I was born and raised in Lexington, a fact that always seems odd to me given my personality; I’m too redneck to be living in a city. My parents have instilled in me an unparalleled love of the country, bluegrass music, and home cooking. And I have vivid memories of my dad quite literally pushing me into groups of adults at my church because “it costs nothing to be friendly and get to know someone”. And then there’s always his conviction that I should say hello to ANYONE I’VE EVER SEEN, even if I’m sure they won’t remember me. But despite a few awkward encounters with near-strangers, I’ve come around to my dad’s way of thinking. I like getting to know the people in my community. To that end, over the past few years, I’ve befriended every person over 50 in my church. Each Sunday there are about 100 older women who ask me how I’m doing, how school is going, where I’m looking at attending college; and I love it! Those women are some of my favorite people, and without my small-town upbringing, I don’t think I would have made those connections. And that’s what I want out of college: a personal connection with all of my classmates and professors. I want to be walking around a campus where I won’t get strange looks and cold retorts when I wave, smile, and strike up a conversation with an acquaintance. So a small, southern college it is!