Proud “Southern” girl, born and raised in the North.

I was born and raised in Seattle Washington, and proud of it.  But a few years ago my family was transferred South Carolina.  The move was very difficult.  I left everything and everyone I knew behind.  To top that off, the people, the culture, the way of life, was so different.  It was like I had moved to a foreign country.  

It took me a while to adjust.  When I walked into a shop, I would be greeted right away.  Not just with a hello, but with a person that was really interested in me and where I was coming from, and how their little store could help me. 

People talked….. A lot!  Every time I left the house I would end up meeting someone and learning a little more about the community.  I thought it was so weird to have men run to open doors for me, and children saying “Yes Mamam, and No Mamam”. 

My neighbors came by my house several times to say hi, and welcome within the first few days of moving in.  As time went on, it wasn’t just a welcome; they kept coming by, with how are you?  And what can I do to make things easier for you.  The local Bible group is praying for you, and so many gifts!  Every time I turned around there was someone giving me something.  Sometimes I didn’t even know them.  It wasn’t necessarily something of monetary value; it was a book about family, or flowers for my dinner table.  It was a phone call when times were tough, and a hot meals left on my door after I had my baby.  No one ever expected anything in return.  This is just how people in the south live.  This is how they treat each other, and even a “Yankee” that just moved to the South.

I recently moved home, back to the north.  I have been here over a month.  I haven’t met one of my neighbors, and yesterday a man leaving the grocery store let a door slam on me while I was juggling my 8 month old baby and my purse.  My first thought as I barely caught the door was just…wow.  That would have never happened in South Carolina.  I think our country needs to take a good look at our values, and maybe we all need a little of the south in us.