Any person who lives outside the great state of New Jersey knows just how proud us Jersians are. What an out-of-stater might not realize, though, is that while New Jersey is just one state, there are two completely different worlds within its borders. From accents to lifestyle differences and, of course, Pork Roll and Taylor Ham, there really isn't much that South and North Jersey completely agree on, except that any person with a Pennsylvania or New York license plate doesn't know how to use a jug handle.
Being born and raised in South Jersey, I was generally in my own bubble of a community without much consideration to anything outside of the 609. Enter: college. The most terrifying, liberating and shell-shocking time of my life. They say that going away for college opens your eyes to not only the world around you, but also to who you are as a person. Let me tell you, any person from North Jersey will be damn sure to tell you just what kind of person you are if you're from anywhere south of exit 117.
One of the first differences I was most taken back by after coming to Montclair State was the sense of urgency about everything around me. People don't just drive faster, they walk, talk, eat, blink, breathe and everything else you can think of at a quicker pace for no apparent reason. I noticed while out at the grocery store with some friends my freshman year that while I perused through the isles looking for the best deal on shampoo they had already lapped the store and gone through self-check out. Three years later, this has still been a constant theme with my North Jersey friends. While I understand the New-Yorkers mentality, I still can't help but wonder why everything has to be a sprint rather than a marathon. Back home in South Jersey, the only place my friends and I are racing to is the beach.
Another thing that any southerner can tell you is how often they are called out for their supposed accent. I'm not denying that there are lingual differences between North and South Jersey, but it continues to astonish me how someone can be ridiculed for the way they say "home" yet no one seems to bat an eyelash when someone wants a "cawfee". I personally can't seem to make it through the week without having someone either mocking me or telling me they know where I'm from because of my "accent".
The biggest contrast between us undoubtedly has to be our vocabulary. When I go to a diner, I ask for two eggs over-easy with rye toast and Pork Roll, never Taylor Ham. When I want to relax by the ocean I go to the beach, not down the shore, and when I get there and can't find parking, it's because of the Shoobies, not the Bennies. These cultural differences in our terminology seem to fuel the most debates between my friends and me. We are talking about the exact same thing, but because we use different words we sometimes can't get through a conversation without someone raising their voice or even leaving the room.
When I first got here I was positive that I would never be able to acclimate to this new environment. These people are so different from my family and friends at home in Atlantic County, so how could I ever learn to tolerate this virtually new breed of people? While I still call my mom to complain about these differences and I still fight tooth and nail about the fact that it's called Pork Roll, I've learned to really appreciate South Jersey's unalike yet complimentary sibling. The biggest thing I've learned outside of the classroom though is that while I may be making myself a new home in the 973, you'll never take the 609 out of this South Jersey girl.
