I Said POP, Oops!

When we told people we were moving to Texas, and especially Austin, they said we would love it.  That we'd never come back (don't tell my mom that).  People here say we'll hate the summer {not looking forward to two months of 100+ degree weather}, but that they love their city.  And though I hate to admit it, we're part of the 100+ people moving to Austin every day, making the city bulge, the roads busy, and finding work and housing difficult. 

I'll give you some differences, observances, and mental notes I've bookmarked so far :)

First off, the people here ARE SO NICE!  Back in Minnesota, people who had lived outside of Minnesota said that "Minnesota Nice" is fake, but "Southern Hospitality" is real.  Sadly, I'll have to agree.  People back home will make small talk or give a compliment, but it is quick and fleeting.  Here, if you don't start a conversation in an elevator or checkout line, it's strange.  Since many people here are transplants, there's a lot to talk about and learn about people.  {Now here's to working on that and making some new friends!}

Secondly, the "language".  Obviously people here say "y'all", "fixin'", and some people have a twang or a drawl.  I have to say, I've always loved the expression "fixin'", and y'all seems to sound less harsh than YOU GUYS.  I also had my first oopsie of saying "pop" yesterday instead of soda or coke.  I've had one person tell me I have the worst northern accent they've ever heard, and several people tell me I don't have an accent at all.  And of course, everyone references the movie Fargo.

**Which brings me to an awesome/ridiculous point Mike made:  it's entirely unfair to have to say you're from MinneSOOOOTA and went to school near FarGOOOO.  Seriously!!  With the "O's", you're just set up to fail and project your accent.  Rough life.  Although it is fun to say "Up North" and "back home" and actually mean it. 

Drivers are really kind here, they let you in, they leave appropriate spaces, etc.  The highways have frontage roads that run all along them, so for us, sometimes we drive on those to save time.  Their grocery stores are AMAZING and CHEAP!  Avocados we 59 cents!  My mom would have lost it if she had seen the prices here.  And our local store has everything you could possibly ask for.  Organic, amazing bakery, Blue Bell ice cream, the works.  They are called H-E-B for your reference :) 

The barbecue and Mexican food are fantastic, and things are definitely spicier here.  Sonic, Popeyes, In-N-Out Burger are some other perks.  Tons of people have dogs, cats are pretty popular as well, and community pools are common.  We are lucky to have one less than a block away! 

All in all, the transition has been smooth.  (PS: that is a weird-as-hell word to type and I had to Google it.)  We don't feel completely awkward but are definitely looking for a place to fit in.  We need to get a local coffee shop and/or bar to call our own!  Moving to a new city can be hard, but luckily, we are one in one-hundred every day here, so we're not alone!