Every summer my family and I take a plane to Denver, Colorado and drive three hours through the bare country in order to reach our destination to a small, barren town of Kimball, Nebraska. Many people do not understand why my family would visit a place where there is "nothing to do" since it is all country and the closest malls and shopping areas are a hour and a half away in a completly different state. Coming from the heart of Charlotte, North Carolina, I can see why people would see Nebraska as a boring, farmer-filled state. Through many peoples' eyes they see a place where all you can do is sit around and watch a tumble weed bounce across a dirt road on a windy day.
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I am not like most people, I see Nebraska as a place of many opportunities because there is so much you can do out there such as ride horses, go on a walk through a corn field, go to the lake on the fourth of July and watch fireworks explode in the air, take a road trip with your best friends and get lost on the way, and most importantly, make memories.
Not only is traveling to Nebraska a tradition in my family but it is also a place where I can look at the world differently and re-define everything. I have learned to not take things for granted and to cherish the small things in life. In the small town of Kimball, most of the population are farmers and I see the harsh things they have to go through in order to make ends meet. Farmers do not get paid much for their hard work and when a hail storm comes through, their fields are put in jeopardy and if the fields get destroyed then they will not be able to make any money off their produce that they have grown for months. Seeing what these farmers go through made me realize that life can sometimes be rough and to never give up, just keep pushing forward. I also learned that I do not need the most expensive things in life and I should be happy/grateful for what I have. Being in such a small town where people wear t-shirts and jeans filled with dirt and holes is a place where I would rather be instead of a society where people must have the newest Coach purse or the most expensive car. Going to Nebraska is my little getaway from everything and it teaches me that I should be happy with what I have and to cherish everything including memories, family, and the small things in life. My visits in Nebraska has changed me into a completly different person but for the better and I am thankful for the experiences that have led me into a whole, new direction.
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