As someone with no connections to the South before college, it's safe to say I was unprepared for what was coming. Once I finished my first semester and the culture shock had dissolved, I was able to come to terms with the reality of being a fish out of water.
1. You will be known as the girl not from here
When someone asks where you're from, you have to brace them for an unusual answer, and the minute 'you guys' pours out of your mouth instead of 'y'all,' heads will turn.
2. You will be asked a million times "Why Texas?"
And the response is the same every time: the same reasons you guys did (minus the generations-long UT legacy).
3. All of your in-state friends get to hang out over breaks
And you just have to watch from 1,000+ miles away.
4. Your wardrobe now has to consist of jean skirts and burnt orange
Burnt orange was not a color I had just lying around in my closet. It grows on you, though.
5. Everyone will be shocked how you survived your entire life without Southern fast food
No Canes, Torchy's or Chick-Fil-A? I have no idea how I did it for 18 years.
6. No one knows how to handle cold weather
I will admit, it gets surprisingly cold here, but having a snow day without the snow is a foreign concept to me.
7. Complimenting someone's Southern accent is an insult
Personally, I'm flattered whenever someone says I have a New York accent, but I've come to learn that telling someone their Southern accent is cute might be offensive.
8. There is a constant debate over pronunciation
Specifically, whether it's Coors Light or 'Coo-wers'...this debate keeps me up at night. Just admit it's a geographical difference, and we won't have any problems.
9. You have to learn all the cities of Texas
I have had to spend too much time distinguishing the differences between all the public and private schools in Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, etc, and that doesn't include trying to remember where each person is from.
10. Finally coming to terms that you're never moving back North
Yes, New York will always be my home, but with Southern hospitality and an abundance of sweet tea and fresh barbecue, why would I ever want to move back?
