Where I’m From

Where am I from?  I was born August 10, 1994 in Hastings, Nebraska.  All my life I have lived in rural, central Nebraska.  In my opinion I have grown up in the best place in the world.  I am from the country side of small town Aurora, Nebraska.  The only life I have ever known is farm life and I am grateful for it.  Living in the country has given me the appreciation of hard work, family, and values which have made me who I am today.

I was only 3 years old when my family and I moved to the countryside of Aurora.  We lived in a house right next to the family farm, and sadly the loud, roaring interstate.  Living and working on a farm was a great way to grow up.  I always felt free to do anything I wanted to do.  There was never a moment when I had nothing to do.  I could entertain myself for hours just running around in the tree line playing with sticks.  As I got older I spent more time working down at the farm.  By the age of 12  I knew the farm and every field we owned like the back of my hand.  My mom and step-dad even taught me how to run almost every piece of equipment we owned.  Not many kids were operating everything from tractors, skid steers, and four-wheelers before they had a driver’s license.  Little did I know that kids my age couldn’t even imagine doing the things that I did on a day to day basis.  We also owned a wide variety of animals.  We owned horses, cows, goats, cats, dogs, and everything in between.  I know now that I owe all of the privileges from my childhood to where I am from.  The older I got the more I discovered that I hate people.  I am far from anti-social, but I could not live in a big city full of people.  There is just something about small towns that make you feel more welcome.  I picture myself living outside a small town for the rest of my life.

My life took a series of twists and turns close to three years ago, and my family and I were forced to move out of the house that I have lived in throughout my childhood.  We did not move far, however.  We actually built our new house just a couple miles down the road.  Ever since then my mom and I have been constantly working on our new land.  My mom and I have basically done everything on our own.  Our consistent hard work has made our piece of land into what we call home.  I love our new home, but sometimes I think back to all the good times I’ve had in my old house.

When I think of where I’m from my school immediately comes to mind.  I’ve gone to the same school all my life and I am proud to call myself a husky.  Although we are proud of our academics here, Friday night football games are what this school is all about.  It is a tradition of ours that is very strong and it feels good to know that I have done my part keeping the tradition of where I’m from alive.  Our school is probably like most other small town schools.  The drama is constant, rumors spread like wild fire, and there are no secrets.  I don’t like any of this, but I can’t really help it.  It’s just one more fact of where I am from.  I do believe my school is unique in some ways however.  For a small school we have a wide variety of personalities among the students.  We also make sure to have fun every chance we get.

Lastly, I am a resident of the great state of Nebraska.  When people think of Nebraska they typically think of corn fields as far as the eye can see, but there is a lot more that people don’t know.  I have travelled quite a few times in my life.  Every time I am out of state too long I begin to miss back home.  I think Nebraska is home to the best people in the country and that is what attracts me to it so much.  I am very confident that I will consider Nebraska home for as long as I live.  So for all of you that want to find me in the years to come, start by searching outside of a small town in Nebraska.