North & South

I've always been happy being a simple hick... Unfortunately that's defined much differently in the Midwest than it is here in the South. I'm far more accustomed to tire swings and clear lakes and black earth and lush green grass which gives way to wet snow in winter. Sand and heat and palm have become frustratingly unchanging.

The attitude is very different here, too. The people seem aloof, even rude(to my own perception as well as that of some other "Yankees" I have met here), although people from this area tend to think the same of the typical Northerner. It's possible our minds are "trained" to a certain set of ideals and mannerisms and the unfamiliar may seem negative without that intention.

This way of life for me goes beyond simple unfamiliarity. It goes beyond homesickness. I think I have reached the limits of what I am capable of adapting to. Tornado sirens, strong prairie winds, cornfields and the strong spring stench of cow manure are all things I have grown accustomed to having grown up in the Midwest. Hurricanes (or even tropical storms), heavily-draped Spanish moss, over-sugared tea (and just about everything else) and LOTS of bugs and creepy-crawly reptiles are things I simply cannot get used to.

In having had to process all of this new information, there have also been unwelcome developments in myself. I'm more tense, more nervous, more crabby. I sleep less and eat more junk food. The kids and I aren't having as many of our spontaneous "family adventures" as we used to. We aren't taking road trips to go sightseeing just because we had some extra time. We're just sitting home, complaining about the heat and about all the things we're not used to. And feeling lost and isolated.

These are the things I'm hoping to change over the next few months. And why I want so badly to get "home" - back to where things are familiar.

tags:homesick