On Wisconsin!
Okay....let's get the disclaimer out of the way. I would hate to offend the Wisconsinites, the Southerners, and the politically correct.....so I will try NOT to make fun of Wisconsinites. This blog is to just allow me to share my frustrations, happiness, likes and dislikes during my transition here in the Frozen Tundra.
Now....
So a year ago, my husband (born and bred Wisconsin had barely been out of the state when we met in law school) moved me to Wisconsin. I thought, "Hey, how different could it be?" I had spent so much time in the military moving and experiencing all sorts of different places and people. I considered myself pretty open and adaptable to other experiences and places. Shall I say now that I was wrong.
I am not saying that I dislike it here. I do not one bit. I like the piece and quiet of where I live. I enjoy the sports fanatics as I am one. I enjoy the "any excuse is a good one to drink" mentality. I find the people friendly enough. However.....there are a few things that I am trying to adjust too and if anyone from the great state could shed light upon these feelings...please do.
So:
one thing is the stand-off nature of the Midwest. Being from the south I have never met a stranger. I consider myself an outgoing person. I love to be social and step right on up and meet you. When I extend that "outgoing nature" to a stranger here, I am met with the look of, "What the f*&ck are you doing? Are you on crack?" "Did I invite you to talk to me?". Look people, just trying to be nice. Didn't mean to piss in your cheerios. I feel like outsiders around here need not apply.
Sarcasm or the lack thereof: my husband is the most sarcastic person I know, but when it comes to catching sarcasm in another person, he is clueless. I feel that people are so literal here. Why is that?
The dry sense of humor? what is that all about? Is your brain frozen from the snow?
Being Frugal? I am all for being practical, but come on already. One's quest to save a penny around here is more extensive than the search for the Holy Grail.
Now, I know people are going to say, "If you don't like it, then move." Well, I do like it here. I just need some understanding in the differences of the Midwest. Like why is it people go to a store or something for "treats" or when you bring in something to work for everyone people say, "treats". When I think of treats I think of my dogs. Why is it "kiddy korner" and not "kaddy korner" like we say. And why bubbler?
Well, that is all for now. I am sure there will be plenty more questions for you enlightened Midwesterners out there.
Ciao for now!
posted by leelee33 at
2:35 PM
2 Comments:
Okay, as a lifelong Wisconsinite, I'll give your queries a go . . .
So: one thing is the stand-off nature of the Midwest.
This is one I've heard from more than one of my Southern friends. The reserve is a rough thing to get used to. There is, however, a benefit to it, one that it takes a lot of years to learn to appreciate. Two benefits actually.
First, the reserve is - at the end of the day - the manifestation of a cultural imperative that everyone needs to mind their own business. Other folks beeswax isn't to be inquired after. If someone wants to share, great. If not, that's respected with no questions. One of the experiences I had in the South that drove home how nice this can be was when someone who I had met fifteen minutes prior asked about if my oldest child was biologically my husband's.
Second, and most importantly (at least in my eyes), there's not a lot of faux anything. If someone likes you, you can tell because they act like it. For all the time I spent in the South, I could never figure out who did or didn't actually like me and who was just being nice.
That being said, a Wisconsinite will give a total stranger the shirt of his back if you give him a chance. We're just not terribly demonstrative about it.
I feel that people are so literal here. Why is that?
That one I had never noticed, so I am not sure how to explain it.
The dry sense of humor? what is that all about?
Proximity to Canada? Seriously. Ever watch Canadian comedy? :-D
Being Frugal? I am all for being practical, but come on already. One's quest to save a penny around here is more extensive than the search for the Holy Grail.
That's the German Lutheran cultural influence. That and the fact that we have to spend too much money on staying warm to have cash for much else. ;-)
In all seriousness, having experienced both the Midwest and the South, and I can appreciate the culture shock (you do not even want to know about the look that crossed my face the first time I saw a plumber's truck with a Jesus fish incorporated into the sign). They both have their charms, and I expect you'll end up treasuring this crazy place the way I treasure the South (I still want to know why I can't get good sweet tea any more). The transition is the beast though.
It's called a bubbler because the Kohler Company of Wisconsin (near Shaboygan, which is halfway b/t Green Bay and Milwaukee) manufactured them and labeled them so. They didn't want the name to go the way of kleenex (meaning any tissue not just the brand) or coke (meaning any cola not just cocacola) and tried restricting its use to their fixtures. Now, only people in WI call them bubblers, but to call them anything else make little sense. Water fountain? Hah!
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