While 600 miles doesn’t seem that far, in relation to how huge our world is, deciding to go to college 10 hours away wasn’t easy.

I grew up in the same house my entire life and was never the new kid at school. It wasn’t until senior year of high school that I decided it was time to get out of my little Dallas suburban bubble and see the world. While most of my friends chose hometown favorites, like the University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma, I was the sore thumb of our friend group who decided to travel to the far away, magical land known as the Midwest.

When I moved into Jones Hall, freshman year, the first thing my RA said to me was, “Did you just say y’all?” Little did I know what kind of eye-opening year I was in for. After attending Mizzou for almost five semesters, and staying here through both summer breaks, I feel like I have a pretty good grip on what it’s like to be an outsider. 

Below is a short list of the things every out-of-stater wants Missourians to know. While many are related to being a Texan at Mizzou, most come from surveying my fellow out-of-state friends who call places like Illinois, Minnesota, California, Arizona and Colorado home. 

1. I will never understand the elusive hierarchy that is St. Louis and Kansas City private schools, but I promise I will try and learn. 
2. Both Oklahoma Joe's and Gates are pretty good. 
3. What the heck is Red Friday? 
4. ‘Yals should never be short for the Royals. 
5. Cardinal games are a blast, but so are baseball games in most every stadium. 
6. I respect your enduring love and fan love no matter how bad your sports teams play. I gave up on my NFL team years ago. 
7. Tennis skirts are not universally popular, which is sad because those things are amazingly comfortable. 
8. We aren’t all journalism majors. 
9. If you are going home for the weekend, consider inviting us. For me, a home cooked dinner is 10 hours away. 
10. Chicago pizza will always be better. 
11. Where I’m from, it’s all flat. So, sorry, when I gawk at the beautiful hills, trees, and lakes. 
12. Yes. Texas is hot; we border Mexico. 
13. Before coming to school here, I didn’t know what an ice scraper was, I didn’t own a heavy coat or down jackets, and had never seen more than a few inches of snow. 
14. What I am trying to say is, when the roads are iced over and you see some terrifyingly bad drivers, one of them is most likely me. 
15. You don’t know what cold is until you grow up in Wisconsin, Illinois, or Minnesota.
16.  Hockey and lacrosse are not popular everywhere, so don’t be offended by blank stares when you talk about it. 
17. Yes, my high school was like Friday Night Lights. And, yes, I worship high school football. 
18. California and Texas hold the top two spots for best food in America. Just saying. 
19.  Queso is not just melted cheese, and nachos are not just chips and ground beef. 
20. I am wildly jealous of your ability to go home on weekends. 
21. Mainly because there is probably a Chick-Fil-A nearby and a doctor you trust.   
22. There are a lot of bugs here, and spiders. We really need to do something about the Brown Recluse problem. 
23. Will Missouri ever pick a season? It’s really hard trying to prepare for the arctic tundra on Monday and the Sahara Desert on Tuesday. 
24. Why does everything have to be monogramed? 
25. Portillo’s, Whataburger and In-N-Out should really consider expanding to the Midwest, preferably to Columbia. 
26. It doesn’t taste any different whether you call it Bread Co. or Panera. 
27. I’m not sure how I survived before knowing the wonder that is toasted ravs.
28. “Y’all,” is word. It’s in the dictionary. 
29. The Hawks vs. Blues series is the most exciting and terrifying time on campus. For those of us without an opinion, please don’t ask us to pick a side.
30. Speaking of picking sides, please don’t make me pick between Kansas City and Saint Louis. I love them equally, I swear. 
31. Because mine is so far, you guys are my family.      
32. No matter how much I complain, I could not be happier to call this wonderful state my second home. Thank you for welcoming me with open arms.