Maizie Jackson

Being from a rural town, I have always had people ask me the population of my city, specifically friends from metro inner cities. They're fascinated to find out that it is less than 2,000 people yet growing. They compare it to their homes like Atlanta. To me, these are not even comparable. While I don't know everyone in my city, either my parents do, or I know someone who knows something. Like a friend of a friend. I grew up walking around barefoot on the property. Yes, calling my yard, our property. When going to my grandma's house meant I was just going across the street. Playing ‘stick ball’ in the street and then running for the hills when a car would come. After coming to a large university, which is not really a thing that people do where I'm from, I've realized that some of the things I do back home, isn't what a lot of other people do. Living in a large dorm my freshman year, I made a lot of friends, 3 specifically from large cities like Charlotte, NC, Richmond, VA, and Newport Beach, CA, the first people I have ever met from areas like this. So, when a long weekend came around during the school year, I took this opportunity to take my friends on a hometown tour. The drive was boring and uneventful, and I had hoped they didn't feel like this trip would be like that. I took them to do my favorite things, ride an ATV (pictured here with my little nieces), and they shot a gun, and ate a Low Country boil, both for the first time. They weren't good at shooting, nor driving the four-wheeler, but I didn't care. I just wanted them to have the experience I have when I am home. Animals mounted on the wall, being barefoot more than half the time, going on dirt roads, and eating homecooked meals almost every day, which apparently wasn't a thing for them. They learned where I get my accent, vocabulary, and grammar from. For me, this was important, because I love where I come from. A lot of people who grow up in a small town often want to leave it and live in the city. This is not the same for me. I wanted to show the big city people, my small-town life, and why I want to stay in it, even after moving to a larger city to attend an even larger university.