So you found yourself reading this article. Don't be afraid, it's just an experience blurt on observations I've noticed through the past two years of living in the Northern States. Now before I begin, just know this isn't a read where I will be trash talking anyone or any cultural difference, and this isn't going to be the same experience for the next person. So here we go!
I attend college at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. Well guess what... I'm not from Dayton... or in Ohio for that matter (obviously)! I came up here to Dayton from the gorgeous city of Charleston, South Carolina and boy are the two very very different. Both cities are beautiful places, but the people and dialects are very very different. Shopping around here is even different. Roads are even different, and for someone who is out on her own above the Mason Dixon for the first time, this had a lot of getting used to.
First off, as I just mentioned the people and dialect are two very different things between the South and North. In Dayton a lot of people have an accent that in a way is hard to describe. Like it's mainly a northern mid-western accent, but it's so different for me to hear. In the South, it's a very southern accent like dialect and word choices of "bless your heart" or "good heavens". In Dayton, people use terms like "excuse you" when you sneeze, and they more so say what's on their minds. Back home in Charleston, people are becoming more and more open minded with each new generation, but with some they still hold their tongues; which is something I had to get used to because I found myself becoming shocked a lot more as the days went on by. I also miss listening to the people down by the market talking Gullah. It was always a language I wanted to learn and now regret not learning.
Secondly, I was nowhere near prepared for an Ohio winter. People get excited when spring finally hits at 40* F and they start opening windows. I'm still the one walking around campus in my Patagonia jacket when it's 72* F. Winter is definitely a huge difference and maybe it has something to do with the snow?! Haha! I can easily say that I now and officially own a real winter coat!
To end this bit with, shopping is even different. Back home, we have Kingstreet where you have nothing but shops one after another. Dayton is more so spread when it comes to shopping. We have the Greene in Kettering which has the Apple Store and Jake's Toggery ( it's a prep store!) but otherwise it's nothing like the Tanger Outlets (Which we have near Cincinnati!). I definitely miss the shopping, but maybe it'll be a good thing to miss since I can save money.
As a conclusion, with the few differences I have come to notice, I really have a lot more to learn as I continue to live here. These maybe only a few differences out of the thousands that exist, and this is a brief experience overview, but I hope it has opened my mind a little to y'all. Have a good week!
