"Hey, are you the New York lady?!"
Well, I've been in Nebraska for a month now, and so far everyone thinks that my New York license plates are just plain hilarious. The quote above was from a guy who lives in my apartment cluster (not really a complex), driving by in his pick-up truck. When asked where he was going and if he had any fun plans for the day, he replied "No idea. Just somewhere." I've noticed that people here tend to drive long distances to get places (because they have to!), and many just drive for fun.
Things I've learned so far about being a Vicar in small-town Nebraska:
-ALWAYS be wearing something that you don't mind being seen in. This includes in your own apartment/house; people will randomly stop by "on their way" somewhere. Kids will ring your doorbell and ask for you to come out and play. Church members will knock and then hand you bags filled with fresh vegetables from their gardens.
-People don't lock their cars or the doors to their residences. When I lock my car in front of someone, they will almost always make a crack that NO ONE would want to steal my old Chevy Malibu.
-I found out the town's attitude towards me right away; when I came out to my car one day the first week I was here, someone had written on my windshield "Welcome to Emerson!" On the driver's side window, the person had also written "Please wash me!" Welcoming, yet poking fun.
-People really do wear cowboy hats and boots on a regular basis. People are still commenting on the cowgirl boots that I wore to our annual Western Days.
-No one wears high heels. When I'm "on duty" I wear heels. I've gotten many comments on them. One woman said "We have to get you some comfortable shoes!" I explained that I do indeed have comfortable shoes. She gave me this look, like "why are you wearing those heels, then, if you own other shoes?"
-Outside of the Northeast, people seem to forget that there is a whole big state above the city of New York. When I say I'm from New York originally, they automatically assume that means the city. When I explain that I'm actually from upstate NY, I usually get blank looks. So then I just tell people I lived in Philadelphia for the last four years, and that usually gets the conversation going again.
-Single people barely exist here. I'm pretty sure I am the only young, single female in town. There are a few single guys that run farms outside of town, but that's about it. Everyone else is married/living with someone, and almost everyone has kids.
-EVERYONE listens to country-western music here. At the town Talent Show I judged, every singer sang a country song-- except the girl who sang a cute song about Jesus. When I drive youth members to events, most of them are disappointed that we do not listen to country music in my car. I've only found two radio stations so far that play other music besides country or contemporary Christian stuff.
-People think it's hilarious that I know nothing about farming. I'm not shy about asking questions, to which they always smile and answer enthusiastically. When done explaining, they usually end with a comment like "You big city people have a lot to learn!"
-The Nebraska Cornhuskers are the biggest thing going. People are just plain obsessed. Everyone and their mother, literally, wears Nebraska shirts, hats, etc. A very close second to the Huskers are the local high school sports teams. Most of the town turns up for football, basketball, volleyball, and softball games at the high school. Homecoming is a huge deal; female youth group members have already asked me my opinion on how much they should be willing to spend on a dress for the big event.
-Almost everyone owns at least one pet, usually a dog. Not being an animal person, I've learned to ask before doing home visits if the person owns a pet, so that I am forewarned that I may be jumped on by dog(s) upon arrival.
-No one knows the addresses to where people live. People will say things like "just turn left at the house that John Doe built," which is not very helpful if you're new to town and are used to finding your way around by street names and where streets meet-- and besides, you have no idea who John Doe is/was, let alone what house he built.
-Much conversation here revolves around rainfall and how the corn/soybeans are looking this year. Also included in most conversations are cattle raising techniques and who is married to who.
Things I've learned so far about being a Vicar in small-town Nebraska:
-ALWAYS be wearing something that you don't mind being seen in. This includes in your own apartment/house; people will randomly stop by "on their way" somewhere. Kids will ring your doorbell and ask for you to come out and play. Church members will knock and then hand you bags filled with fresh vegetables from their gardens.
-People don't lock their cars or the doors to their residences. When I lock my car in front of someone, they will almost always make a crack that NO ONE would want to steal my old Chevy Malibu.
-I found out the town's attitude towards me right away; when I came out to my car one day the first week I was here, someone had written on my windshield "Welcome to Emerson!" On the driver's side window, the person had also written "Please wash me!" Welcoming, yet poking fun.
-People really do wear cowboy hats and boots on a regular basis. People are still commenting on the cowgirl boots that I wore to our annual Western Days.
-No one wears high heels. When I'm "on duty" I wear heels. I've gotten many comments on them. One woman said "We have to get you some comfortable shoes!" I explained that I do indeed have comfortable shoes. She gave me this look, like "why are you wearing those heels, then, if you own other shoes?"
-Outside of the Northeast, people seem to forget that there is a whole big state above the city of New York. When I say I'm from New York originally, they automatically assume that means the city. When I explain that I'm actually from upstate NY, I usually get blank looks. So then I just tell people I lived in Philadelphia for the last four years, and that usually gets the conversation going again.
-Single people barely exist here. I'm pretty sure I am the only young, single female in town. There are a few single guys that run farms outside of town, but that's about it. Everyone else is married/living with someone, and almost everyone has kids.
-EVERYONE listens to country-western music here. At the town Talent Show I judged, every singer sang a country song-- except the girl who sang a cute song about Jesus. When I drive youth members to events, most of them are disappointed that we do not listen to country music in my car. I've only found two radio stations so far that play other music besides country or contemporary Christian stuff.
-People think it's hilarious that I know nothing about farming. I'm not shy about asking questions, to which they always smile and answer enthusiastically. When done explaining, they usually end with a comment like "You big city people have a lot to learn!"
-The Nebraska Cornhuskers are the biggest thing going. People are just plain obsessed. Everyone and their mother, literally, wears Nebraska shirts, hats, etc. A very close second to the Huskers are the local high school sports teams. Most of the town turns up for football, basketball, volleyball, and softball games at the high school. Homecoming is a huge deal; female youth group members have already asked me my opinion on how much they should be willing to spend on a dress for the big event.
-Almost everyone owns at least one pet, usually a dog. Not being an animal person, I've learned to ask before doing home visits if the person owns a pet, so that I am forewarned that I may be jumped on by dog(s) upon arrival.
-No one knows the addresses to where people live. People will say things like "just turn left at the house that John Doe built," which is not very helpful if you're new to town and are used to finding your way around by street names and where streets meet-- and besides, you have no idea who John Doe is/was, let alone what house he built.
-Much conversation here revolves around rainfall and how the corn/soybeans are looking this year. Also included in most conversations are cattle raising techniques and who is married to who.
posted by Living Life With Exclamation Points! at
2:28 PM
5 Comments:
I've had very similar experiences moving from Philly to upstate Minnesota. I knew life was different out here when I realized that just about everyone, from the teacher to the chiropractor, had built their own house, fixed their own car, and raised their own produce. Midwesterners are born with this entire skill set that people back East lost long, long ago. :)
By
RDGStout, at September 1, 2009 at 3:55 PM
Nebraska sounds fairly similar to Michigan. Yay! Sounds like you're enjoying it.
By
megan, at September 1, 2009 at 4:13 PM
What you aren't an animal person! Daisy will be heartbroken.
And everyone attends the local sporting events because there is nothing else to do.
By
Becca, at September 1, 2009 at 5:09 PM
You need to make sure to note that Emerson is NOTHING like Omaha or Lincoln which are the only actual cities in Nebraska. :)
By
Unknown, at September 1, 2009 at 7:33 PM
While in some ways, it's different, there seems to be some common threads to life in our hometown, I mean think about how many here made a big deal about homecoming, and spending like money grew on trees for it. Really outside New York, people think we all come from the city, and the thought that people have land and grass and fresh air outside their homes escapes them, because that was true up in Maine. I've come to realize that most people though at least recognize to a degree the 50 State Capitals, and so saying Albany gives a better bearing than Upstate, they can differentiate Albany from the City. The City might as well be its own state, but that's a greater story on its own...
No one wears high heels much once you get away from any city... why punish feet for no reason... that's just as true 40 miles north of here as it seems there...
And it was much the same in Maine and at Clarkson that people rallied around the local teams, because unless you got a large population (50,000+ city), you don't got the people to support lots of entertainment options...
It's interesting to see the differences though throughout the land of the free...
By
Dan "the Man", at September 1, 2009 at 8:29 PM
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