So I recently moved to Ohio. Some of you might not be aware of that fact, especially since my blog's title is still "Musings of a Grad Student in Jerusalem." But "Musings of a Grad Student in Ohio" just doesn't have the same ring, you know? Any suggestions for a better blog title?
Anyway, before I get in the full swing of blogging about my life in Ohio, I thought ya'll would be interested in hearing about the journey out here.
I left Salt Lake early Monday morning and got to Columbus late Tuesday night. Apparently I'm better at driving than at doing math, though, because I emailed my friend to let her know when I would get to her house in Columbus and said, "Well, I'm leaving Monday morning and it will take me two days, so that means I'll get there late Wednesday night." Because Monday + 2 days = Wednesday, right? Good thing I called her before I got there on Tuesday to let her know that I was a couple of hours away!
Everyone wants to know how I made the 29 hour drive alone in just two days. Well, I had two secrets: fruit snacks and a book on tape. I ate about 15 packages of fruit snacks (and went WAY over the Vitamin C limit each day) and listened to Fire of the Covenant for most of those hours. It was a little surreal to hear about the Martin and Willie handcart companies' journey to Utah as I was driving the opposite way. I think we met in Nebraska, as I was driving east and they were walking west. Also, as I drove into Missouri I felt like I was entering enemy territory! It wasn't the best book on tape I've ever heard, but it did keep me entertained for two days filled with empty wheat and corn fields.
Several things have surprised me about Columbus, not least of all the demographics. I have since realized that I live in the "lower west side," and as a white educated female I am very much a minority. I'm not the only caucasian, but the others are mostly, to be politically correct, lower-class lesser-educated Kentucky transplants. They've all got southern accents and Kentucky grammar. The day I moved into my apartment, the neighbor girl was outside and asked me, "How come you don't got no furnurture or nothin in there?" It definitely changed my "Ohio and the midwest are filled with middle-class caucasians and cornfields" mindset. The first few days, when I'd walk into stores, everyone would look up and stare. And I KNOW they were thinking, "Who's that whyt gurl from da suburbs? And what she doin in the hood?" I definitely change my accent (usually I just throw in the word "ya'll" at the end of every sentence, like "I have no idea where that is, ya'll"), mess up my hair a little, and put on my "don't mess with me" face when I walk into stores in my neighborhood so I don't look so out of place! (Hopefully the southern accent won't stick...)
When I tell people where I live, most of them cock their heads and ask, "Now just why did you choose to live there?" First of all, I want to say, I just spent the last year living in the West Bank, and I'm not quite ready to go back to normal yet (just kidding)! But the real reason is because it's cheap. I wanted to find housing pronto, and this apartment was the first place I looked at. But I decided that I didn't need a two-bedroom townhouse, even thought it was pretty cheap, because I thought I could get something a little smaller and cheaper. And then I looked at the rest of my options. By the end of the day I realized that I would rather pay less for a two-bedroom townhouse than more for a small, dirty, one-bedroom apartment. It was a hard decision.
Basically what this means is that I have an extra bedroom and lots of extra space, so if any of you are planning on coming out to Columbus, let me know and you can stay in my extra bedroom! Just bring your own air mattress, because I don't have a couch or even a bed for myself. I'm still sleeping on a mattress on the floor...
Anyway, before I get in the full swing of blogging about my life in Ohio, I thought ya'll would be interested in hearing about the journey out here.
I left Salt Lake early Monday morning and got to Columbus late Tuesday night. Apparently I'm better at driving than at doing math, though, because I emailed my friend to let her know when I would get to her house in Columbus and said, "Well, I'm leaving Monday morning and it will take me two days, so that means I'll get there late Wednesday night." Because Monday + 2 days = Wednesday, right? Good thing I called her before I got there on Tuesday to let her know that I was a couple of hours away!
Everyone wants to know how I made the 29 hour drive alone in just two days. Well, I had two secrets: fruit snacks and a book on tape. I ate about 15 packages of fruit snacks (and went WAY over the Vitamin C limit each day) and listened to Fire of the Covenant for most of those hours. It was a little surreal to hear about the Martin and Willie handcart companies' journey to Utah as I was driving the opposite way. I think we met in Nebraska, as I was driving east and they were walking west. Also, as I drove into Missouri I felt like I was entering enemy territory! It wasn't the best book on tape I've ever heard, but it did keep me entertained for two days filled with empty wheat and corn fields.
Several things have surprised me about Columbus, not least of all the demographics. I have since realized that I live in the "lower west side," and as a white educated female I am very much a minority. I'm not the only caucasian, but the others are mostly, to be politically correct, lower-class lesser-educated Kentucky transplants. They've all got southern accents and Kentucky grammar. The day I moved into my apartment, the neighbor girl was outside and asked me, "How come you don't got no furnurture or nothin in there?" It definitely changed my "Ohio and the midwest are filled with middle-class caucasians and cornfields" mindset. The first few days, when I'd walk into stores, everyone would look up and stare. And I KNOW they were thinking, "Who's that whyt gurl from da suburbs? And what she doin in the hood?" I definitely change my accent (usually I just throw in the word "ya'll" at the end of every sentence, like "I have no idea where that is, ya'll"), mess up my hair a little, and put on my "don't mess with me" face when I walk into stores in my neighborhood so I don't look so out of place! (Hopefully the southern accent won't stick...)
When I tell people where I live, most of them cock their heads and ask, "Now just why did you choose to live there?" First of all, I want to say, I just spent the last year living in the West Bank, and I'm not quite ready to go back to normal yet (just kidding)! But the real reason is because it's cheap. I wanted to find housing pronto, and this apartment was the first place I looked at. But I decided that I didn't need a two-bedroom townhouse, even thought it was pretty cheap, because I thought I could get something a little smaller and cheaper. And then I looked at the rest of my options. By the end of the day I realized that I would rather pay less for a two-bedroom townhouse than more for a small, dirty, one-bedroom apartment. It was a hard decision.
Basically what this means is that I have an extra bedroom and lots of extra space, so if any of you are planning on coming out to Columbus, let me know and you can stay in my extra bedroom! Just bring your own air mattress, because I don't have a couch or even a bed for myself. I'm still sleeping on a mattress on the floor...
Odes in Ohio?
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