1. People are actually nice!
So, being a Bostonian my entire life, I grew up thinking it was normal for everyone to be rude. I thought it was completely normal for people to flip you off while driving or even roll down the window and yell so profanity at you. Well, turns out, this literally only happens in New England (primarily the Boston area). I recently moved to the Midwest and people actually make eye contact with you here, I know, awkward right? They will even go out of their way to say hello! One time, I was on a walk by myself and this boy (who I have never met before) says "hi how are you today?" I was in awe, I didn't know him... why was he saying hi to me? It was a moment of pure shock.
2. People will actually hold the door open for you and maybe even the person BEHIND you!
Okay, for any New England-ers reading this, this is something you should try sometime. It is nice to not let a door slam in someone's face, especially if they are holding something. People in the Midwest will hold the door open for you and practically your entire family if they are behind you.
3. There aren't that many Dunkin' Donuts!
I know, how will you ever survive? Moving to the Midwest I came to find out that my friends lived 45 minutes away from the closest Dunkin' Donuts. I know, these people I care about had to suffer through that! Yes this is not New England anymore, there are not three Dunkin' Donuts on every street, if you see one, savor it do not pass it up because the next one you see may be 30 miles away and you may just get stuck with Starbucks.
4. Cornfields
You may be thinking, cornfields? How is that an issue? Well, you just wait. New England is probably the only place in the U.S. that does not have miles of cornfields on either side of the highway. Don't be alarmed you will probably think you will never see another human again when driving in the Midwest, but trust me eventually you will it may take 2-3 hours but it will be okay.
5. People pronounce their "R's"
Yes, people do this and you will stick out like a sore thumb if you don't do this. People will probably freak out and ask you if you are from Boston, because that is the only place in Massachusetts that they know, it might even seem like they think Boston is a state. Don't fret just try to pronounce it like "car" not "cah."
6. Apparently it's pronounced "ant" not "Aunt"
This was a huge issue for me when I moved out of New England! Apparently we are the only people in the U.S. that pronounce the word aunt as "Aunt," everyone else pronounces it as "Ant" so just a hint, they are referring to their parents' sister not a bug. I guess we missed out on that pronunciation memo.
7. Do not say wicked!
People will make fun of you!! It is like nationally known that we are the only people who use that word as a story enhancer! Everyone else uses it as a negative or "scary" adjective, so don't go calling people "wicked cool," it is not a compliment! After a while of living out of New England, it pretty much leaves your vocab because no one else says it!
