As some background info, I was born in New Orleans, LA, and have lived in Thibodaux, LA, for most of my life. No one outside of South Louisiana has heard of Thibodaux, but it rests on Bayou Lafourche and is the last stop before you get to what we call 'Down the Bayou'. Almost all of my family lives in South LA, and I've been raised to love and know all things Cajun. I love to fish, swim, eat (many categories fit here), peel crawfish, and celebrate Mardi Gras. I live for the beach and my boat, and time with my huge Catholic family. I hate wearing shoes, and I'm hard-wired for LSU football.
During my senior year of high school, I got an email asking me to apply to Franciscan University of Steubenville (even though I'd already decided to go to LSU). I had been growing so much in my faith, and even though my head said, "You've been planning on being a Tiger since you were born," a small part of me figured I could just apply and see what happened.
Long story short, I visited campus, and felt very at home in Steubenville. I felt my heart being tugged towards something more than what I had believed was right for me for years. I took a leap of faith (haha, it's a Catholic school), and now, I would not change my decision for anything. I went to LSU campus recently and felt a lot of homesickness, but that's okay too, because being at Franciscan has taught me a million things about my faith and God, and about a thousand things about the North United States.
The first thing I noticed was that driving on the road is like riding a roller coaster. You're up, then down, then up, then down! I thought we were in the mountains until someone kindly told me they were just small hills. There's only one mountain in LA and it's practically South Arkansas, so I've never seen it. Most of Louisiana is at sea level or below it, so it has been really cool to experience 'hills'.
Next, I realized that not everybody is going to wave or smile at me on the sidewalk or through their car. There is definitely nothing wrong with this, but it came as a shock when we were driving or walking in town or at the store and nobody looked back at me (so I just stare at them creepily sometimes). On campus, many more people smile back, as they are great people, but I have definitely noticed a difference.
There are funny accents and word differences. I realize my accent and word usage is foreign to them, too, but here's what I noticed. Whether it's a soft drink, pop, soda, or coke is apparently some big debate. There are school bags, book bags, book sacks, and backpacks. Up here, they say crain, carmal, and baig instead of crayon, caramel, and bag. My school is very diverse and I really love learning about the differences in speech and synonym usage.
I have MEGA pride in the South and had no idea until I moved. In my first semester, I took every opportunity I had to tell people about Louisiana, the Bayou and the Swamp, crawfish, my big fam, alligators, and our amazing food and weather. I have since toned it down, and I try to be more humble, but my heart is still very proud to live in such a magical land.
Adults are called by their first names in the north and it gives me heartburn.
No one says 'yes ma'am', 'no sir', and it makes me very nervous.
It's cold in the North, and it snows, so I definitely won't live here after college.
Basements are scary and unnecessary. Just use an attic. I'd never seen one before now, and I'm glad we don't have basements in LA cus they're terrifying.
The food here is very different. I've seen a 'pot pie' without the pie part, and I've tried soups and pizzas I've never heard of before. It's funny to see the people in the cafeteria react when my LA friends or I pull out Tony Chachere's or Tabasco Sauce from our backpacks and pour it all over our plate. (Credit to our cafeteria staff for almost always having Tabasco on hand as well.) In general, the food is definitely seasoned less, but I have found new dishes that we don't make down the bayou. I miss cajun dishes, but there are some things only your momma or grandma can cook you.
Lastly, I found out just how much I love my family, friends, and home back in Louisiana. Moving away gave me experiences I never would've gotten if I hadn't gone. It helped me appreciate my loved ones, and the beautiful culture in South LA all the more, and helped me gain an appreciation for the culture and beauty in the North as well.
