By Amanda Reese
I have lived in the mid-west all my life. I was born in Indiana, grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, and went to college in Southern Illinois. When my dad announced that his new job required that our family move to Northern Texas, I wasn’t sure exactly what to think.
Besides spending Thanksgiving in Dallas with my aunt and uncle every year, the only thing I knew about Texas (apart from the relatively warm winters) were two sayings: Everything’s Bigger in Texas and Don’t mess with Texas. Neither of those sounded very encouraging.
I’ve been here for almost a month, and so far I have noticed several minor (and major) differences between the South and the Northern Mid-West:
1. The first day we moved into our new house, three different families came to bring us cookies and brownies, and welcome us to the neighborhood with a big smile and a “hi y’all.” No one in our old neighborhood even came to say good-bye.
2. True to the slogan, everything does seem to be bigger in Texas, hair, accents, buildings, and transportation to name a few. Trucks are clearly the vehicles of choice. My dad started calling our Suburban “The Truck” within two days of our move.
3. Being the middle of the summer, of course it is blazing hot outside. Air conditioners are on all the time, and it is so cold inside stores that I feel like I should bring a sweater with me everywhere. Up North we try to use our air conditioner as little as possible.
4. One day it dropped below 80 degrees and everyone was wearing jeans because it was “a bit chilly.” Let me tell you something, a bit chilly for us Northerners is closer to 40 degrees.
5. People actually stop at stop signs. I know that sounds ridiculous, but up North, we’re more fond of a quick rolling stop. I’m thinking perhaps Southerners are better drivers. In my neighborhood in Double Oak, there are signs up warning drivers about the consequences of a rolling stop. Back home, some kid would probably steal a sign like that.
6. I have noticed that people are friendlier down here. Now don’t get me wrong, I am certainly not trying to say that Northerners are mean, but I have never once in Illinois had a ten-minute long conversation at the post office about the different ways to mail a package. People down here just offer information and a smile like it’s their pleasure.
7. Let’s not forget the massive number of country songs written about Texas, or places in Texas. I just wish I would run into George Strait or Tim McGraw. So far my quest to meet a famous country star has been largely disappointing.
8. What the heck are grits? I don’t even know what the equivalent would be in Chicago. Oatmeal?
So far Texas seems bigger, nicer, and slower-paced than what I am used to. A bit strange, yes, and at times I feel like I am in another world. I have always been proud to be from Chicago, and in many ways I always will be; but being down here I am beginning to realize that Texas is a world all it’s own.
I think I began to truly understand worldwide influence of Texas when I took a trip to Greece this past January. During one of our bus rides we stopped at a gas station in the middle of the countryside outside Athens. As we walked inside, I noticed that the door was covered in Greek bumper stickers. I looked closer and saw a familiar American slogan in bold English pasted among the Greek that read: Don’t mess with Texas. Even the Greeks are afraid.
Photos from the filling station in Greece.
