Northern Lights

So, lately I've been missing life as a northern. I have no desire to move back to where I grew up because I know that's not where God wants me. I don't miss the demographics, I miss the people. Even though moving from northern MN to VA isn't a move to a new country, it is definitely a move to a different culture. Both places speak English, although the north says "pop" and the south says "soda." Both places have beautiful scenery, although the north is flat with gorgeous lakes, and the south is mountainous. Both places have their "favorites", although the north's is venison and lefse, and the south's is Chick-fil-A and fried chicken. Both places have worship centers, although the north's is the hockey arena, and the south's is the trillions of churches that take up every corner in the Bible belt. Yes... culture is so different. I truly enjoy the culture of both the north and the south.

I must admit that I have learned a lot since moving to the south. I now know how important AC is for survival, or at least sleep. I learned what "cutting up", "talking", and "wingnut" mean. I have learned that "bless your heart" is NOT a compliment. I have learned that when passing someone in the hall or on the street, it's normal to say hi, even if you don't know them, but if they say "how are you?"... it's just a greeting like "hi" - they don't expect (or want) an answer (although I've been here for 4 years, and still answer every time and get weird looks). I have learned that Koreans are the happiest and most care free people in the world. I have learned that girls with strong southern accents are not as dumb as northerns think. I have learned that pier fishing is just as fun as ice fishing. I've learned a lot!

What I miss from the north is the people.... from my experience, northerners are much more "real" than southerners. Southern people are hard to read sometimes...whereas with northerners, things are just set on the table up front. I like that. I miss the sarcasm that is normal and acceptable with northerners...."you make fun of me, I make fun of you, we both laugh our heads off, and our friendship grows." Not in the south. I miss sarcasm....I still use it, it's who I am, but I have to be careful about who I use it around. I'm not sure why, but lately I've been missing northern humor and fun. One of my favorite summer memories while living in MN is playing pranks on friends and scaring the fire out of them... it was so much fun. There just isn't that kind of fun down here... well, unless you want to lose all your friends. I'm thankful for the south, and I like it here, but I do miss the north, especially during the summer. It's not a big deal, but it's fun to think about the old days....