School starting

There are many differences between my school life in a rural area, with 88 people in my graduating class, and in a large metropolitan area with, what?, 300-500 students per class.  For example, my husband and I both marvel at how much attention the local high school, which we both drive by daily, gives to its practice field.  It has been re-sodded at least once each year since we lived here - that's going on 12 years.  It's a practice field!  Last year they added a retaining wall for proper drainage and last week I noticed that there is a sprinkler system now.  Again, it's a practice field! 

Here we go:  "where I grew up", in the high school situated between two corn fields, the football field was mowed and holes were filled in so the guys didn't trip and hurt themselves.  The field wasn't zoysia or bluegrass  - it was just green and probably full of plenty of weeds that were mowed routinely.  And the practice field, you ask?  Ha - what practice field?  There was some field beyond the official playing field that was used if the field was too wet close to a home game. 

My neighbor, who is a native to the metro area and specifically to this area, was telling me how the schools are cutting back.  There will no longer be any after school buses.  Now, I took this to mean that the schools were cutting back on transporting kids to after school activities.  After all, how far do they have to go, right, 10 miles?  It's not the 2 hour drive along country roads from my neck of the woods.  No, she meant that if the kids stayed after school for some reason there was another bus they could catch to come home!   We live a 10 minute walk form the schools.  Now, where I come from, if you didn't get on the bus to come home, then you had better have another form of transporation.  Heck, it hasn't been that long since I had my last dream about missing the school bus!  Funny how 12 years of being told not to miss the bus can stick with  a person, huh?

Now, I could try to explain these difference to someone around here but they wouldn't get it!  That's what I find so frustrating about living here - I lack this common point of understanding.