The majority of students from my town decide to go to college close to home because they still want to smell that old Boston Water. I, on the other hand, wanted to expand my horizons and move to the Midwest for four years. Little did I know that this transition would cause me to adjust my Boston ways to fit into the daily life of a Midwesterner.

1. Slow Pace

If you’re from Boston or New York, you’re used to everything moving at a faster pace compared to people in the Midwest who move much more slowly. I find myself getting so impatient waiting in line for a meal or waiting at a traffic light because people move SO SLOWLY. Sorry in advance if you see a girl screaming outside the car window telling people to drive faster.

2. The Heat

The heat in Indiana is unbearable. Walking to class isn’t an option when the humidity is 90%, let alone it’s already 84°. There’s no point in wearing a cute outfit to class because the second you walk outside you will already be drenched in sweat. The only option is workout clothes, because when you start sweating you can say you just got back from the gym.

3. Gun Stores

It isn’t typical that one would find a gun store in the East Coast; so don’t be alarmed when you walk outside of IU, because right down the street you’ll find a gun store.

4. Later sunsets

The days feel much longer and tiring because in the winter it’ll be 6:30pm and the sun will just be setting, while on the east coast it’ll already be pitch black by 5:00pm.

5. Abundance of Friendliness

Every single person I meet from Indiana is by far the most welcoming. No matter what store you go into, people will greet you with a warm smile and ask you how your day is. Now it might seem weird that this is something to get used to, but everyone from the East coast knows it’s almost impossible to find a worker who has the patience to be nice to every single customer.

6. Corn Fields

Don’t worry; Indiana has an abundance of corn. I’ll be sure to bring some back to Boston for the holidays.

7. Fast food

Get ready to be deprived of Sweet Green and Chopped and prepare to be overwhelmed by the amount of Steak N’ Shake, Chic-fil-A, and Taco Bell franchises. Parents wonder why their kids gain so much weight at school, and it’s because they are surrounded by an abundance of cheap, fast food.

8. Constant Tornado Warnings

Try not to be surprised if you get an IU Bloomington Alert about a tornado warning being issued; happens at least once a month.