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Transplants, what were some of culture shock experiences y’all had?
Posted on 1/21/19 at 9:12 am
Posted on 1/21/19 at 9:12 am
Like When you moved to your SEC school or state from out of state?
Any stories?
Any stories?
This post was edited on 1/21/19 at 9:13 am
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Posted on 1/21/19 at 9:55 am to OKTGR580
Well, moving from Tupelo to the DC area was a bit of a culture shock.
It didn't come close to having the shock of moving from DC to North Chicago though. DC is still a Southern city, in climate if nothing else. In North Chicago it snowed in October and stayed on the ground till sometime in March.
From there we moved to Florida for another WTF change. Going from snow on the ground half the year to a place where you would burst into flames if you went outside half the year.
It didn't come close to having the shock of moving from DC to North Chicago though. DC is still a Southern city, in climate if nothing else. In North Chicago it snowed in October and stayed on the ground till sometime in March.
From there we moved to Florida for another WTF change. Going from snow on the ground half the year to a place where you would burst into flames if you went outside half the year.
Posted on 1/21/19 at 10:03 am to OKTGR580
1. CA to TN was a huge culture change in a positive way for the most part. The level of obesity, cost of living (excellent) and the winter weather were the big adjustments.
2. TN to Germany for 3 1/2 years was a culture shock.
The language barrier, the rather coldness of Germans until you get to know them, & Public trans (for every part of your life) were the biggest obstacles I faced. Overall one of the best experiences of my life though.
2. TN to Germany for 3 1/2 years was a culture shock.
The language barrier, the rather coldness of Germans until you get to know them, & Public trans (for every part of your life) were the biggest obstacles I faced. Overall one of the best experiences of my life though.
This post was edited on 1/21/19 at 10:04 am
Posted on 1/21/19 at 3:16 pm to OKTGR580
Moving from NC to NYC....
People move and talk faster.
I learned to adapt.
A few didn’t and they moved back down south.
Also, I had this connotation that everyone was mean here and assholes.
Complete opposite really. Especially at a local place/bar.
Everyone likes talking to everyone and everyone regardless of their race/religion etc just all hangs out together
When in college my fraternity/friend circle was prettt much all the same people
The weather really not much different. Now days everywhere is pretty much the same except south Florida
People move and talk faster.
I learned to adapt.
A few didn’t and they moved back down south.
Also, I had this connotation that everyone was mean here and assholes.
Complete opposite really. Especially at a local place/bar.
Everyone likes talking to everyone and everyone regardless of their race/religion etc just all hangs out together
When in college my fraternity/friend circle was prettt much all the same people
The weather really not much different. Now days everywhere is pretty much the same except south Florida
Posted on 1/21/19 at 5:15 pm to TRUERockyTop
quote:
2. TN to Germany for 3 1/2 years was a culture shock.
The language barrier, the rather coldness of Germans until you get to know them, & Public trans (for every part of your life) were the biggest obstacles I faced. Overall one of the best experiences of my life though.
I can very much second this, despite not living in Germany. My family has members from Germany and they can be very distant until they get to know you. After that though, they are all in.
Posted on 1/21/19 at 5:48 pm to Arksulli
Fantastic people once you get to know them, but they sure as hell aren't going to wave at you or give you a friendly hello in public if they don't know you. 
Most anyways
Most anyways
Posted on 1/21/19 at 6:10 pm to TRUERockyTop
quote:
Fantastic people once you get to know them, but they sure as hell aren't going to wave at you or give you a friendly hello in public if they don't know you.
Most anyways
And when they do get to know you, very upfront people. You know where you stand with them. Which I can live with :)
Posted on 1/21/19 at 6:27 pm to TRUERockyTop
quote:
TN to Germany for 3 1/2 years was a culture shock.
Können Sie Deutsch? Ich komme aus Deutschland.
Posted on 1/21/19 at 6:30 pm to ExtraSpecial
Germany to Tennessee was a culture shock for my parents, for sure. They grew up in Belarus in the 1960s and 1970s, moved to Dresden (East Germany) in 1985, Karlsruhe (West Germany) in 1990, and finally to the U.S. in 2001. I was four when I came here, so I didn't remember experiencing culture shock. I just had to learn English, which was easy at my age, and I had even lost my foreign accent by the time I was 7. I sound just like a regular American. I don't have a Southern accent though.
Posted on 1/21/19 at 6:46 pm to ExtraSpecial
Ich kann ein bisschen deutsch sprechen. Meine Frau ist geborene Deutsche und hat bis vor kurzem dort gelebt. Ihre ganze Familie lebt immernoch dort. Beide meiner Kinder sprechen deutsch und wir versuchen mindestens einmal im Jahr die ganze Familie zu besuchen.
Posted on 1/21/19 at 7:04 pm to OKTGR580
Grew up in Colorado, Texas Instruments hired me out of college and moved me down here in '87, in what I would consider a fairly rural area. Lots of locals hired at the plant.....at first I could not understand a damn thing due to the Texas drawl....seriously. And they talked soooo damn slow I would finish their sentences for them...
Now I speak the language, Y'all. And I love the Republic of Texas
Now I speak the language, Y'all. And I love the Republic of Texas
This post was edited on 1/21/19 at 7:06 pm
Posted on 1/21/19 at 7:42 pm to OKTGR580
The biggest difference I’ve felt between the South and Midwest is the one people talk most about, just the day to day composure and attitudes of strangers you meet. Most Southerners are much more open and many will have conversations with just about anyone, in the Midwest that would seem rude or annoying. It can be off putting at first but once you get to know people they’re about the same.
The food is obviously different and not as good overall in my opinion. Service both at private businesses and government agencies is better and much more efficient in my experience.
Also, the way people dress is very different. Church in the south, at least the ones I went to, were suit and tie settings but nobody does that here. More jeans, fewer khakis. More sweatshirts, fewer jackets. Men have better haircuts here, women have worse. Alcohol laws are better, tobacco taxes are worse. Crime, serious crime, is way less of an issue here but I live in a rural area and lived in urban areas in the South so that probably isn’t a fair comparison, but I like not having to worry about locking things or leaving something in my truck or outside.
The food is obviously different and not as good overall in my opinion. Service both at private businesses and government agencies is better and much more efficient in my experience.
Also, the way people dress is very different. Church in the south, at least the ones I went to, were suit and tie settings but nobody does that here. More jeans, fewer khakis. More sweatshirts, fewer jackets. Men have better haircuts here, women have worse. Alcohol laws are better, tobacco taxes are worse. Crime, serious crime, is way less of an issue here but I live in a rural area and lived in urban areas in the South so that probably isn’t a fair comparison, but I like not having to worry about locking things or leaving something in my truck or outside.
This post was edited on 1/21/19 at 7:46 pm
Posted on 1/21/19 at 11:33 pm to KSGamecock
One of the strangest things I experienced moving from Colorado to Georgia was that there was a significant uptick of racism -- from every direction. I had never really thought about it being from a military family and moving from base to base, literally having friends of all colors and being pretty much colorblind. I had never been referenced by my skin color or called a cracker in my entire life until I moved to Georgia (my high school was and remains majority black) and the different stress of fitting in just wore me down to the point where I just wanted to get my GED, join the military and move on with my life.
It made a lasting impression on my mentality for a long time.
It made a lasting impression on my mentality for a long time.
Posted on 1/22/19 at 5:43 am to Arksulli
quote:
Well, moving from Tupelo to the DC area was a bit of a culture shock.
Moving from SC to DC was quite the experience.
You could spend all day on 7th or in Union Station and people watch and be continuously amazed by the ppl there.
Everytime I talked ppl asked where I was from and bc it was obviously the South I dealt with a good deal of them assuming I was less intelligent than them bc of it.
And I could run my smartass mouth at them and nobody got offended or butthurt by it.
Their inability to drive was insane.
Their roads made me actually appreciate the condition of the roads in SC.
Posted on 1/22/19 at 8:34 am to OKTGR580
Got invited to go deer hunting in SC. They released hound dogs. I was shocked. Even more so when they started hanging deer on the pole that might have had 15 lbs on the dogs chasing them.
Posted on 1/22/19 at 9:49 am to OKTGR580
There is no such thing as a chicken biscuit out here. People literally look at you like you have a penis coming out of your forehead.
You can get them at Chic-Fil-A but it's not something people were raised eating.
You can get them at Chic-Fil-A but it's not something people were raised eating.
Posted on 1/22/19 at 10:04 am to navynuke
Southerners hunt deer with hounds? How does that even work?
Posted on 1/22/19 at 10:12 am to KSGamecock
In thick foliage like North Florida, you use a shotgun with 00 buckshot and run them with dogs. done that a few times.
Posted on 1/22/19 at 10:14 am to Pavoloco83
Sounds wild and like a lot of fun. Only time I've seen hounds up here are for Bear.
Posted on 1/22/19 at 10:16 am to I Bleed Garnet
oh, Pizza and Bagels are literally 1000000000000 times better here.
Also the food in general is just better.
Outside of your grandma making southern food (which even some high end southern restaurants up here kind of replicate it), you can literally get ANYTHING you want.
I didn't even have Indian food till I got here and it's out of this world.
Also the food in general is just better.
Outside of your grandma making southern food (which even some high end southern restaurants up here kind of replicate it), you can literally get ANYTHING you want.
I didn't even have Indian food till I got here and it's out of this world.
This post was edited on 1/22/19 at 10:20 am
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