If you’re like me and from a big city in a big state like Texas, Fayetteville is a whole new world. Texas will always have our hearts, but the University of Arkansas is a happy solution to the “want some distance from home, but don’t want to be too far” problem. In the four short months I've been here, I already love it and I haven't met many people who don’t. But, there’s a few things you new coming Texans will need to know before you settle down in this college town.
1. First of all and a little bit saddening, queso isn’t always called queso now. The game has changed. If you ask someone from Arkansas for queso, they will probably say oh you mean cheese dip? Yes, you heard me right… cheese dip. There's no Flore's, only one Chuy's, and definitely no Maudie's in Arkansas, so you may struggle at first to continue your Mexican or Tex-Mex food addiction. And it doesn’t help to hear that your favorite appetizer and chip accessory has become not as important. Don’t freak out. Dickson has a plethora of bars and restaurants that understand that there is a difference between queso and just cheese. I promise, it’s not as bad as it seems.
2. Uggs were a huge fashion statement in my hometown when I was in 8th and 9th grade but they slowly died out and everyone realized they didn’t really have a purpose except for the short month of actual cold weather. Now I wear my old beat up and stained Uggs all the time.
Everyone does it, it's not about fashion anymore its about survival. They are comfy and they keep your feet warm, who cares if they are kind of ugly? Uggs might have gone out of style in high school for you, but they are most certainly in style when the temperatures begin to drop in Fayetteville.
3. I’m from Austin. We only see a couple types of weather down there and that’s rain, extreme heat about ¾ of the year, and cold fronts that last about 2 days. Sometimes, Mother Nature goes crazy and it gets icy in the winter. But, for the most part, we don’t see the four distinct seasons that Fayetteville has. And when it does start to get even a little cold, you can tell who the Texas kids are because we are all bundled up while the locals are wearing shorts.
We can’t help it, most of us have only been exposed to this kind of cold when we go on vacations. Your biggest fear should be when it starts to drop below 20, that’s when everyone is bundled up so much you can’t even tell who each other is. Invest in a good coat and winter boots, you’ll need them. And when your roommate asks “is it cold ouside?” the answer is always yes when you’re from Texas.
4. Texas is big. Everyone knows that. So driving through it can take a while sometimes. Austin is nine hours away, which is hard road trip. If you’re from Dallas or San Antonio, you will understand this too. It’s a lot of nothing on your drive home from Fayetteville. Unfortunately, and no offense to Oklahoma residences, but driving through OK is hard. You will probably lose service, I have multiple times, and you will most likely go a long time without decent food stops or clean gas station bathrooms. It’s a hard two hours between here and crossing the Texas border, but I promise it’ll go by faster than you think.
5. It’s almost guaranteed that half or more of the new friends you make will also be form Texas. We makeup 80% of the out of state students and are still growing. Also, if the question following “where are you from” is “why not UT/TCU/A&M/SMU” you are allowed to get slightly annoyed. Maybe we didn’t get in, ok?! We LIKE Arkansas, OK?!
6. Don’t want to make the drive? Decided to catch a flight back home? Get ready to drive to Tulsa first because it’s hard to find flights out of the Arkansas airport. Not to mention they are more expensive, but also there aren’t many airlines that fly in and out so your best and cheapest bet is to drive the two hours to the Tulsa airport.
That gets more difficult if you don’t have a car and someone has to drop you off. Personally, I prefer the drive because it’s a lot cheaper and simpler. But if you are looking for a faster option and your parents are willing to pay for it, find a flight and fast!
7. I’m a city girl. I grew up in the suburbs of Austin and attended a high school right outside of downtown. Not many people had thick southern accents and if they did, they most likely didn’t grow up in Austin. I still say y’all, because why would you ever say you all when there’s a shorter version? But I hadn’t heard a real southern accent till I came up to Fayetteville. From the city? Expect to get a slight southern accent before you leave and if you don’t notice, your friends from home will for sure.
