Midwest Musings

Being from California, many people have recently asked me "how do you like Michigan and living in the Midwest?" Maybe instead of answering each individual person, I'll just write it all here in a blog post and direct them to read it ;) So…here you have it; some things I've noticed, be it things I love, don't love, or just things that are plain different than back home in California.

1. The weather. I really had no clue how much it rained and stormed here. I thought Seattle was bad…boy, was I ever wrong! ;) In between the beautiful sunshine we do get here in Michigan, there are some crazy storms. In California, I can't even remember the last time we had thunder and lightning, so needless to say I'm a little scared of it. I'm pretty sure my boyfriend's family thinks I'm a big baby, but I'm not used to it, so I can't sleep if there's loud thunder or lightning. Please tell me I will get used to this!

Maybe I'm just spoiled by living in California most of my life, but I'm wondering when Summer weather is here to stay? Last time I checked, it's late June and we've had thunderstorms all week. I can't take it anymore! And that humidity…I. Just. Can't. My hair has never looked….worse. Perhaps it will just take a bit of getting used to.

2. The people. They're so nice! Sometimes a little too nice ;) I can't go anywhere without having a full-on, meaningful conversation with at least one clerk, salesperson or random shopper. Everyone is so kind and talkative here, and this California girl is certainly not used to that. What I AM used to is rushing around, not saying more than "please" or "thank you" to the clerks at the checkout stands, so this is very refreshing. The men here are gentlemen, opening doors and letting women walk in front of them (my boyfriend included! He has the best manners!) It's also more conservative here, which I also welcome.

3. The food. While there's every chain restaurant known to man (all located on one street, too!) I haven't found there to be very many "hole in the walls" or family owned eateries. Maybe I haven't looked hard enough, but it seems to me that this part of the country is satisfied with all their fast food (yuck!) and chain restaurants. I have been super impressed with a few restaurants located in the down town areas, but around my own neighborhood, there's not much.

4. The accent and speech. Yes, it's the Midwestern's who have the accent, not me ;) Their long "A's" crack me up! I also think their informality of speech is funny. My mom and I both noticed that instead of answering "yes", "sure", or "I understand" to a question or in agreement with someone's statement, the majority of people say "yep" and nod their head. I think I'm starting to do it now, too. Ah! Also, instead of saying "June twenty third", most will say "June twenty three". This is just plain lazy in my opinion…ha! There are so many other words that we pronounce differently, too, so you will often catch my boyfriend and I laughing at each other when that happens.

5. The land. It's flat as can be out here, with not a mountain or hill in sight! California is filled with rolling hills (all probably brown right now because of our lack of rain. Hey, I have an idea! Let's send some Michigan rain over West:)) I never knew how much I'd miss those mountains. To make up for it, the lakes and beaches here are gorgeous. If I could go to the lake everyday, I sure would!

6. The style. In California I'd be worried about how I looked going to the grocery store. I definitely don't have to worry about that here, as the style and fashion is much more laid back. While I love fashion and trying my best to look cute, this is actually kind of refreshing. Except when people wear their PJ's to the market (true story, I've seen this more than a couple of times). That's where I draw the line, people!

If you have moved across the country before, what differences have YOU noticed?!

Happy Monday!
xoxo

interior design website / services / portfolio