You Know You're Not in the South Anymore When...

I keep reiterating to people that the Southwest is a different world. The weather, the landscape, it's all very different. And I really do love it here.

But I miss the South. I can already tell that I'll become one of those unhappily displaced (pseudo-)Southerners who carry around bottles of ranch dressing in case of sauce emergencies. I just need my ranch.

And I definitely will continue to say "y'all" as much as possible. I am occasionally made fun of, but whatever. I appreciate the convenience of the word.

One thing that isn't very different between Arizona and the South is that people in both places are very friendly. However, the big difference is in their politeness. People in the South are friendly AND polite; people in Arizona are just friendly. I kind of miss the politeness aspect.

One thing that is definitely better in this part of the country is the total lack of humidity. If it were this hot back home, it'd be like a swamp. I mean, I still sweat here, just not as overwhelmingly as back East.

But I still miss the South, and that's why I made our roadtrip go a few days out of our way to drive through South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Arkansas.

Those of you who are back in the South, send me your stories! I wanna keep it in my mind.

peace and love from the grand canyon state,

pb