As a New Yorker (willingly) living in South Carolina, I have found that being a Northerner can take some adjusting.
Being from the north seems so foreign down here; so I took it upon myself to accumulate a list of everyday thoughts that any Northerner living in the south can relate to.
1. I don't have an accent. You have probably yelled this countless times in protest to the northern accent you claim you don't have - even though “all full” and “awful" sound like the same word when you talk. You may have learned how to tone it down – apart from when you’re drunk or with other Northerners - but let's face it, people can detect we are Northerners from a mile away.
2. Why is everyone so friendly? Like freakishly friendly. As Northerners we never willingly make small talk - let alone eye contact - with fellow pedestrians. Down south, you cannot walk ten steps without receiving grins and the cheerful “how are you!" from friendly locals. This isn't a bad thing by any means. It made me feel at home wherever I went when I first moved here, but doesn't it get exhausting? I mean do you ever, I don't know, NOT want to talk to someone?
3. Why does everyone walk so slow? If I had a nickel for every time I stepped on the back of someone’s shoe because they were walking way too slow... I apologize for tailing you so closely and for causing your flip-flop to fly off, but I mean come on, speed up (this applies to driving as well).
4. There is absolutely no reason to call me ma'am. Ever.
5. Game day is a holiday. Sure we all attended our high school football games and thought they were huge deals, but there is nothing like game day in the south. Towns literally shut down and people flock by the thousands to the stadium (and various tailgating festivities). And whatever you do, do not show allegiance to any other college football team that is not in the SEC.
6. Where are all the diners? And no, I-Hop does not count. I am talking about the locally owned, mom and pop diners where the entire family goes for french toast and other diner food goodness (you northerners know what I'm talking about).
7. I do not curse too much. 99% of the time we respond with a curse word when we are told this.
8. You call this snow? The mere utter of the word can send an entire southern city into a panic. If there is even the smallest prediction of snow, everyone storms the nearest supermarket. Whether you need to stock up on necessities for the "great (less than an inch) snow storm" or not, you will be there.
9. I am not a “Yankee.” We take this very personally. A Yankee is a player for a New York baseball team, not a proper term to call my northern self.
10. No, I am not from New York City. Maybe this only happens to me, but whenever I tell people that I am from the north (not even New York) I get asked if I am from New York City - like it is the only place north of the Mason-Dixon line. I was even asked if I lived in Times Square............
Living in the south is great, but as any Northerner knows, it can take some adjusting. It takes some time to get used to the culture shock, but once you know what to expect, you can't help but laugh at all the expected differences and situations you will encounter as a "yankee" in the south.
