The value of culture is in its effect on character. It avails nothing unless it ennobles and strengthens that. It’s use is for life. Its aim is not beauty, but goodness. - Somerset Maugham
Moving Day (1947); Image courtesy of Paul Malon on Flickr.com
We are very fortunate. We are surrounded by people who are eager to help us become acclimated to the culture of our new community so we haven’t made any major mistakes in getting to know the area. Some of the Midwestern cultural aspects we remember from living in the neighboring state ten years ago. Other aspects, such as encountering Cheese Whiz on a chili-cheese dog at several different venues, require a bit of a learning curve. Overall, though, we are loving it here.
But the community is also losing it’s personality and developing The Generic American Culture. I’d estimate that over 90% of the recommendations on where to eat are for restaurant chains. Before we got the kitchen unpacked, we had to hunt for someplace that wasn’t Olive Garden, Bob Evans, Denny’s, Panda Express, Chipotle, etc. The main commercial drag is filled with big box stores that can be found anywhere. Part of what is making it easy to adjust to living here is that I’m already familiar with Target, Kroger (Ralphs), Jewel-Osco (Albertsons), CVS, Walgreens, Macy’s, JC Penney, Office Depot, Home Depot, and even Krispy Kreme (not that I’ve ever *cough* gone in *cough* there for a doughnut, of course *cough*).
When two crazy California newlyweds moved across the country to New Jersey 25 years ago on nothing more than a wing and a prayer, they encountered major culture shock. It took me a good three years until I got the hang of the New York to DC corridor way of doing things (and I still managed to “step in it” on occasion ten years later). Since that time, we’ve made several more major moves to completely different cultures within the United States.
We are fortunate in other ways, too. We have had the opportunity to live and work in five states in three regions of the country. Each of those regions have their own culture. And I think I’m a better person for having encountered different cultures within the United States.
Have you ever experienced culture shock from moving from one part of the country to another?
So glad to read that you’re settling in your new home and community. I too have experienced “culture shock”, twice. The first was when I moved from Massachusetts to Germany. My ex husband was in the Air Force and we were stationed over there. I didn’t want to live on base. I wanted to experience living in German. Living on base, to me, would be similar to living in the US. Probably the funniest culture clash came around Christmas time. We lived in an apartment building in a small town near the base. At Christmas we put up all kinds of Christmas lights on our balcony. Well a few days later we took a good look at our building and realized we were the only apartment with lights up. Some of the German residents walked by and laughed at the bright, garish lights. At that time Germans weren’t really didn’t display Christmas lights.
Another experience was when I moved to New Mexico. Being a New Englander, we are little introverted. We take a bit to warm up to people we don’t know. In the South west, people are very friendly. When we first moved there, it took me more than a year to get used to complete strangers on the street saying hello to me. I would think to myself “Why is this person speaking to me? We don’t know each other.” LOL
My biggest culture shock was moving into a “civilian” community after my dad got out of the Navy when I was sixteen. Even when we didn’t live on base, the surrounding areas have a certain culture all their own.
As an adult, I’ve made three major moves. First from Seattle – where my parents settled – to Buffalo, NY, then New York to Missouri, and finally to South Carolina after a break stint back in Seattle. Each of these areas have a distinct flavor, but I do agree with you that “Mom & Pop” restaurants aren’t as much a part of a place as they were in the past.
We moved so much when I was a kid, it’s easy for me to acclimate, but I did have some concern about moving to THE SOUTH for the first time in my life at the age of thirty. It is a whole other way of thinking, but, at least here in not-too-big-not-too-small Greenville, people are friendly and welcoming, no matter where you came from. I have no intention of leaving, either.
Forty years ago, after graduating from college, I moved alone from rural Idaho to Boston. I had to explain where I was from by starting with Seattle because co-workers hadn’t even heard of the nearest city — Spokane. Anyway, one of the things I noticed immediately in Boston was the lack of service in department stores. Especially in shopping for clothes,I was used to being waited on and assisted with my choices. Taking garments to the dressing room myself was new to me. But, when I returned to the Northwest two years later, the self-service concept was in full swing and the attitude toward the shopper had changed.
Our largest culture shock ocurred when ‘tP’ & I moved to Fargo, ND for me to pursue my PhD. Both of us are PNW natives from small town WA state. Oh my goodness, not that Fargo is a big city – we’ve been in bigger, but mid-western culture and ND culture to boot. Wow! we were bowled over, “you betcha’”
Ironically, I experienced culture shock moving BACK to Los Angeles after being away for 20 years! It was weird. On one hand, everything had an element of familiarity to it because it was my hometown. On the other hand, things had changed A LOT during those 20 years that I lived in other parts of the country.
This move seems to have been the easiest for us (relatively speaking) and I think it is because so many people were holding us up in their thoughts and prayers.
Positive prayerful support is wonderful. And I’m sure that your own outreach for the right “next step” was also beneficial.
My mother moved from Idaho to Tennessee in 1933, and she said that initially she couldn’t communicate. I think our media has worldwide impact in bringing us closer together. At the same time, we need to celebrate what makes us different as well as what makes us similar.
I so agree that we need to celebrate what makes us different. It’s funny you mentioned that. Having lived in different places around the US and in Germany, I so appreciate being back in New England, my real home. I try to embrace things that I didn’t appreciate before I left because I took so much for granted. The first thing that comes to mind is the accent here. I didn’t really notice it until I moved away. But when I returned I noticed it more and appreciate our lack or “r’s” and adding “r’s” onto words that end in “a”. LOL. But I also find, with all of this modern technology and mobility, the younger generations are losing their accents. So many young people in New England have no accent at all and that makes me sad. Our accent is one of the many things that make us “New Englanders” and to lose that would be like losing part of our character.
Bloomington/Normal unfortunately is probably the chain restaurant capital of the US. You’ll find a few non-chain places in downtown Bloomington and tucked away near the campus, but darn few. Keller’s or the Coppertop Lounge aren’t bad.
The non-chain places tend to be Indian, Mexican or Chinese.