Southern' Livin'

As I mention in my profile, 2 of my kids and I moved out here to 'Bama back in '06... I was warned by all my friends and family that I'm going to experience "culture shock". Well, I must have taken it in better stride than expected, because there's been very little "shock" since I came out here.

I expected it to be "country", slow paced, and considerably greener than southern California. I suppose the biggest difference is in the colloquialisms... we all know they say "y'all" in the south. But do you know what the possessive plural of "y'all" is??

Keep in mind that I've worked in professional corporations in California... I'll never forget the day I was standing next to the manager over my department at work, when I was very new there, and heard her talking on the phone to some customers... asking "did you get this item in y'alls'es order?" I think my jaw about hit the floor.

Here's some other nifty words... fly swatter: fly flapper, going to: fixin'ta, alright: 'ight, and then there's Redneck caviar: oysters on the half shell. VERY popular around here. yuck. Fireworks are big year round, there's a fireworks store in just about every town. Just about everyone has a fire-pit for burning leaves and other garden debris. Of course fishing and hunting are REALLY big out here for all ages.

I'll admit to being very spoiled from Calif in some regards... for example, the banks are very "behind the times". I used to be able to deposit my paycheck in the ATM, stop on the way home to get gas, get home and go online to check my bank account, and see both my deposit and my withdrawal already. Out here.. you either use the drop box which could take up to a week to process, or you get to the bank before it closes and deposit it personally. It could take days for bank card transactions to go through, and the online banking is updated just once a day, at 7pm. Yikes.

If I really need a big city fix... I can head out to Enterprise or Dothan. Dothan is almost like a little slice of Los Angeles, complete with upscale shopping, heavy traffic, and bad neighborhoods.

I suppose the biggest culture shock would be the undercurrent of prejudice still out here. Yeah, there's some no matter where you go... but it's worse out here than on the West Coast. I can't remember anyone using the "N word" since I was a kid, but out here I've heard it a few times. Especially the older folks.. the "good ol' boys", as they're called. The younger black folk out here are about color too, it seems. I've heard both "sides" use the words "their kind" and "our kind". Where I work, there's a good mix.. and everyone seems to get along great.

I get asked occasionally if I miss California.. and I have always honestly answered NO. I miss my family, I miss some beautiful places like Lake Arrowhead and Yosemite, and San Francisco.. but no, I don't miss living in California, and I don't have any plans to move back. I love being out in the country, I love the way everyone knows everyone. And there's so much more to explore yet :)