At times I struggle with my identity as a yankee living in the south. Here is a recap of my latest northerner issues.
It snowed in Georgia yesterday and my school was not closed. The Southerner that I have become was extremely disappointed and confused. It snowed! In Georgia! I thought everything shuts down when it snows?! Then my inner Yankee spoke up – she totally understood why school was not cancelled. The snow was melting as soon as it hit the roads and that stuff in the picture above – it would be gone before I even got home from work.
I realized that I at times I struggle with my identity as a yankee living in the south.
After all, I was born and raised in Connecticut and didn’t move to Tennessee until Fall 2005. So for the first 20 years of my life, all I knew was what it’s like to be a Northerner.
Fall is chilly and once in awhile it snows on Halloween. Winters are harsh, spring is rainy, and summers can get muggy and hot. We have four seasons though – and they are all different and absolutely beautiful.
We drive on the highway and buy alcohol at a package store.
I drink soda (which stands for any carbonated beverage) and eat thin crust pizza from family owned restaurants. My hometown doesn’t have a Little Caesar’s or Pizza Hut. Oh and grinders are sandwiches that come on long buns.
A cookout is the same as a barbecue and that means you cook outside.
Sweet tea, okra, buggy, and sweeper were not in my vocabulary.
We think 2 hours is a LONG drive to go to the beach and a 4 hour drive to visit your grandpa for Thanksgiving is a huge deal (think lots of whining about having to spend a WHOLE DAY in the car).
I never knew Sonic or Chick-Fil-A even existed. There are one of each in my town now and they are more like
Pools don’t open until after Memorial Day and our schools don’t have air conditioning. Speaking of school, it started in September and ended in June – usually late June because of all the snow days we had to make up.
Snow days… a rare occurrence in the North. Unless there are more than 6 inches on the ground.
It’s funny how completely opposite it all is here in the South.
I’m from Maryland and can identify with pieces of the north and the south, but I must ask… What is a sweeper? lol
ummm I love your house!!! We’re looking for something similar when we decide to house hunt in Georgia 🙂 neighbors!! Umm and you live in Connecticut?! Do you know half my family lives in Harford?! Girl this is nuts! Hope you’re staying warm!
It’s kind of the same with me. I lived 8 years in Virginia and we had snow days…more often though we had ice delays (2 hour delays). But, now I live and teach in Utah, which has just as much, if not more snow. Never had a snow day in the past 3 years I’ve taught. My mom grew up in Utah and said she never experienced a snow day in her life, not even during blizzards!