Going to college 2,000 miles away from home brought along its fair share of challenges. After six full months of living in New York City, I can officially say that these are the 10 biggest culture shocks that I went through so you don't have to.
1. Soft-smiling at strangers that you make eye contact with
Southern hospitality did not at all prepare me for the Concrete Jungle. In Texas, when you accidentally make that awkwardly lingering eye contact with someone, you politely smile so as not to seem rude. I learned not to do this in New York the hard way after one too many creepy strangers thought my polite awkwardness was an invitation for them to catcall me.
2. Apologizing after bumping into someone
My first week walking on the streets of New York, every other word out of my mouth was "sorry!" or "excuse me!" Most people ignored me, but every now and then I would get the odd look. Apologizing for running into people is just not a thing. Physical altercation is just one of the many side effects of being a pedestrian, I guess.
3. The quality of Mexican food
Chips and queso, tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas, fajitas - all staples of the Tex-Mex diet I grew up on. A pot of queso on the stove waiting for me after school was like coming home to a new puppy waiting for you. The search for quality Mexican food in New York City has been rough. "Queso" does not mean melted cheese, people! If your salsa does not make my eyes water, is it not spicy enough! Currently calling my mom to have tacos al pastor from La Gloria shipped to me.
4. 40 degrees in the morning, 80 in the afternoon
I had to wear uniforms in high school, which usually meant a plaid skirt, white button down, and navy sweater. It's a really weird feeling when, on the way to school, your legs are freezing but on the way home from school you have to take your sweater off and put your hair up because it's 80+ degrees and 50% humidity. New York seems to do the opposite. I cannot count how many times I've walked to my 9:30 am class and the weather was fine, but somehow when I get out of the class it's COLDER?? What kind of physics-defying thermal blackhole is this place? The morning is supposed to be the coldest part of the day, not the warmest!
5. Income taxes
State income taxes do not exist in Texas. That is all.
6. Sweet tea
There is literally a restaurant in my town that I go to for no other reason than that their sweet tea tastes like all the happiness of my childhood liquified. I can buy Gold Peak sweet tea to keep in my fridge, but freshly brewed sweet tea is hard to come by. Even one of my friends from Canada says that her favorite thing about Texas is sweet tea. Ordering unsweet tea at a restaurant and adding sugar is simply not the same, not because I'm picky but because the tea has to be hot when the sugar is added. Basic rules of solubility people.
7. Southern accents are cute
This one is actually surprising. Back in Texas, my friends kind of tease me about how much I say "y'all" and sometimes even "y'all'd've" (you all would have). Having a Southern drawl is a little too rustic for the suburban area I'm from, I guess. However, my more Northern friends in NYC seem to think that my practically nonexistent accent is "cute."
8. What "going out for coffee means"
In Texas, going out for coffee means we're going to drive around until we find a cute little café in downtown San Antonio and drink lattes with full-blown foam art while talking about things that will probably be irrelevant in two weeks. In New York, meeting someone for coffee means bring your laptop because you know we're going to work while pretending to socialize. If you aren't writing an essay while getting coffee with your friends, are you really getting coffee with your friends?
9. The culture of always working
NYC is notorious for having a constant "go go go" mentality. Everyone seems to run on caffeine and 5 hours of sleep. I'm not saying that Texans don't work as hard, but we do know how to relax and focus on things other than work, like dressing in colors that aren't black.
10. EVERYTHING IS SO EXPENSIVE HERE
Minimum wage in NY is higher because everything else in NY costs more, so living in NY but only having a legitimate job in Texas is a little asymmetrical. Or maybe everything is so expensive here because it has the "New York City" label on it. For example, $5 for a small coffee is just part of the aesthetic.
Even though NYC can be a money vacuum, and a sleep vacuum, living here has been an amazing experience. Texas will always be home but New York is doing pretty well as a placeholder for now.
