17 Things Every Rural Person Who Moved To A Big City Has Probably Experienced

    What do you mean the next bus is in 10 minutes?

    Amy Glover
    by Amy Glover

    BuzzFeed Staff

    1. Realising how little your friends back home are paying in rent and feeling more than a bit jealous.

    FX

    Oh, you've got your own three-bedroom place now, Laura? That's great! It's absolutely (sobs quietly so my seven roommates can't hear me) great.

    2. Hearing people complain about a two-minute bus delay and fighting the urge to go into a "You don't know how good you have it!" rant.

    Matt Davis / Flickr / Via Flickr: pics-by-mpd

    But seriously, where do you need to be in such a rush, people?!

    3. Picking up the accent in 0.2 seconds, much to the disdain of your family and friends back home.

    Nickelodeon / Via giphy.com

    Bonus points if you didn't even realise your voice was changing until you got roasted on a group call.

    4. Suddenly finding that a lot of people want to stay with you.

    BBC / Via giphy.com

    Turns out, living in a major city is a pretty great way to reconnect with that kid from school you haven't spoken to for about seven years!

    5. Basking in the sheer range of clothes and shoes you can get now. Um, a clothing store with its own escalator? Incredible.

    Wikimedia Commons / Philafrenzy / Via commons.wikimedia.org

    I don't wish to alarm you, but there's a Primark within 20 minutes of my new home that has five floors. FIVE.

    6. Speaking of which, buying groceries in the city is completely different from getting them back home (turns out, stockpiling food as if there's a disaster coming isn't all that necessary here).

    Jason Tester Guerrilla Futures Follow / Flickr / Via Flickr: streamishmc

    You mean to tell me that I can just pop to my local(!) giant supermarket whenever supplies are running low instead of getting a ton of food every time I take an hourlong trip to the Big Shop? Revolutionary.

    7. The weird but kind of freeing feeling of nobody having a clue who you are for the first time ever.

    Lights, Camera, Interaction / Via giphy.com

    It's nice recognising everyone you pass on the street, but there's just something incredibly liberating about moving someplace where people don't know where, when, and with whom you had that incredibly awkward first kiss.

    8. Explaining where your hometown is in relation to the nearest big city (or county. Or country).

    Blindtoy99 / Getty Images

    And then eventually giving up and just telling people you're from the middle of nowhere.

    9. Never *quite* being sure what to wear.

    MTV / Via giphy.com

    OK, so you've gotten comfortable at work, you've learned how the trains run, and you may even have picked up a bit of the slang — and then, just when you're starting to feel comfortable, you rock up on a night out in full glam, when everyone else is wearing comfy jeans and a nice top. Oops.

    10. Never truly understanding the correct etiquette on public transport.

    Eric Fischer/ Flickr / Via Flickr: walkingsf

    Look, I get it; having someone in front of you who isn't used to how these things work is probably SUPER annoying. But guys, it's so BUSY! There's an ad for Cats on the wall for no reason! People are glaring! It's not easy to remember which side of the escalator you're supposed to take when all of that's going on.

    11. And while we're on the topic, it's slightly weird realising that you probably don't need a car in your new home because everything is either a short walk or a bus ride away.

    Tunart / Getty Images

    The city is a strange new world where apparently anything farther than 5km away is long-distance.

    12. Suddenly having a whole range of places to hang out in instead of always going to that one spot.

    ceo of gay yearning @kitscarstairs

    small town culture is having zero places to hang out so u end up chilling with ur friends at fucking walmart

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    13. Occasionally acting like you're in a movie set because in a lot of ways, you kind of are.

    NBC / Via giphy.com

    I'm sorry, you want me to walk past the same buildings that were in Harry Potter and NOT turn the whole thing into a photo shoot? Please.

    14. Being judged for completely different reasons than those you're used to.

    Rain Garcia @RainJaeGarcia

    small town culture is associating an entire car make and model with the people you know who drive that type of car

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    Going out in a full neon catsuit? Nobody cares here! Not waiting for everyone to leave the tube before you get in the carriage, though? Yeah, that'll get you some death stares.

    15. Realising that actually, people in the city can be just as friendly as everyone back home.

    CityTV / Via giphy.com

    Sure, not everyone has the time to chat to you while you're scanning your groceries, but you know what? After a couple of months, you'll probably realise that the "unfriendly city slicker" trope is a bit of a myth.

    16. Being homesick from time to time and wishing you could go back...

    Straz / Via giphy.com

    Yes, the city is exciting, and you probably love the amount of stuff there is to do! Still, though, there's no place like home.

    17. But loving your new home, too!

    Shansche / Getty Images

    Despite all the differences, you've kind of (Hannah Montana voice) got the best of both worlds!