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August, 2011

  1. Fall is in the Air

    August 28, 2011 by Becoming Midwestern

    Goodbye Summer...

    The other day I decided to go for a jog/brisk walk through the new neighborhood. Running is relaxing for me, especially when you have the beautiful scenery of some of the amazing old homes that compose much of the North Fargo. I was mid run, gawking at the stained-glass windows and beautiful landscaping, when I heard a crunch. I looked down and sheer panic shot through my entire body. It stopped me in my tracks. Where did this earth shattering noise come from you ask? Was it an animal or insect? Was it my trusty ipod that dropped out of my pocket? No, much worse. The source of the crunching came from the brown leaves scattering the sidewalk all around me.

    Why is this such a horrible thing you may ask. Well, leaves falling from the trees means Fall is just around the corner. If the leaves weren’t proof enough, I can’t ignore the cooler temperatures in the evenings and early mornings and the sun setting earlier in the day. While Fall is my favorite season, it comes with a nagging reminder that true evil is creeping closer and closer: Winter in North Dakota.

    If you still aren’t convinced that Fall is in the air, since yes, it has been 80 degrees and sunny outside the past few days, do the math. This week marks two months until Halloween, and I remember Halloween last year- a Tinker Bell costume does not offer

    Hello Winter

    much insulation to 20 degree temperatures. This means in two months, the temperature will most likely drop by 60 degrees and there could potentially be snow on the ground.

    While I love most aspects of North Dakota, I still have not adjusted to the horror that is a winter here. Freezing temperatures, stinging wind, slippery roads, and not a glimpse of green grass for five or six months. Yes, Fall is a beautiful season, but with a gust of wind, all the leaves are gone and Jack Frost is in full force.

    Time to unpack the sweaters and put away the shorts and enjoy the last few days where I can walk outside without arming myself with an ice scraper and scarves wrapped up to my eyes.

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  2. Time Flies When You’re in ND

    August 23, 2011 by Becoming Midwestern

    I had a mild panic attack after this photo when I realized it was only November and it was going to get colder.

    It’s official. I have been a Fargoan for exactly one year. One year ago today, I ended my 1,300 mile drive and settled into my new home unsure of what to expect in this new area of the country. I had never been to the midwest before, and had never lived that far away from family or friends. I knew no one, except my boyfriend and some of his family from the area, and was about to begin a new job where I would be interacting with locals on a regular basis.

    Now here I am, one year later, and I can’t believe how at home I feel in Fargo and North Dakota in general. The community welcomed me with open arms and I have never looked back. (Well, that’s not completely true. Experiencing -30 degree temperatures for the first time definitely made me question my decision to move here a bit.)

    To celebrate this landmark event, I decided it would only be fitting to make a list of my top ten favorite memories from this past year. In no particular order, here we go:

    Watching a dike being built during flooding.

    1. Learning the word hotdish and uffda, which I now try to utilize in daily conversation.
    2. Realizing that “the lake” is not just one particular lake but instead one of over 10,000, and then visiting my very first Minnesota lake.
    3. Trading in my Washington license for a North Dakota one and registering at NDSU as a ND resident. (Bittersweet)
    4. Realizing I was assimilating to ND weather when a friend called from Virginia and asked how the weather was, to which I replied, “Oh, its actually pretty nice today. About 20 above.”
    5. Waking up the morning of the first significant snow storm, staring out the window and asking me boyfriend, “So, do we go to work?” After realizing, yes, everyone still functions when it snows, getting in my car, sliding through a stop-sign and eventually getting to the office where my coworkers gathered around me and asked, “Umm… how ya doing, Hailey?”
    6. My first North Dakota wedding, wedding dance and bachelorette party. Enough said.
    7. Minneapolis. Twins game, mall of America, tons of good food, Shout House, all in all an excellent place.
    8. Fry bread tacos, Special K bars, kuchen, Bud Lite with a pickle (life changing), anything with rhubarb and cheese curds.
    9. Though it was not necessarily a positive memory: realizing what it really means when the Red River floods.
    10. Driving out to the middle of no where and seeing more stars then I ever knew existed.

      Loving Minneapolis.

    Thank you Fargo, North Dakota, and the Upper Midwest in general, for making an outsider from all over feel like they are home.

     

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  3. The Student Becomes the Teacher

    August 18, 2011 by Becoming Midwestern

    This week I began a new chapter in my Midwest adventure– graduate school. I decided that I loved the area so much that I should further my education here as well.

    While I don’t officially start classes until next week, I’ve been in training to teach an undergraduate course during my time at NDSU. However, this isn’t what today’s post is about, though the title may elude to it. The fact is, today’s post is about how I have begun teaching another newcomer to the Midwest.

    Our conversation began by sharing where we were from and how long we have been in the area. She moved here about a week and a half ago from the NY/NJ area. Before I knew it, I was going on and on about the quirks of the Midwest. In fact, I believe I started with, “Have you ever heard of a hotdish?”

    I went through a series of topics including the unique food, the festivals, Downtown Fargo, Midwest accents, the movie Fargo vs. the actual real-life Fargo, best local places to eat, and of course the weather. I even shared my favorite North Dakota fact, “Did you know that Dakota in Sioux in means friend?”

    The best part of the entire conversation was seeing how excited she was getting about her recent move to North Dakota the deeper into the conversation we went. I assured her, yes of course this is a big change for anyone not from the area, especially from New York, but Fargo really does have a lot to offer and she’ll adjust in no time. In fact, maybe she’ll even become the Upper Midwest’s second biggest cheerleader.

     

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  4. North Dakota is Good for the Soul

    August 12, 2011 by Becoming Midwestern

    As mentioned in my previous blog post, I moved last weekend. What I failed to mention was how much I appreciated all the help we received from our friends that took time out of their Sunday to help us out.  The thing was, while every one I asked was more than willing to help, I felt so guilty asking them. A day or two before everyone was supposed to show up and start moving, I found out that a few friends usually attended church during the time I was asking for help. They of course said, “Hailey, its seriously ok…” but I was horrified. Immediately I adjusted the moving time to fit into everyone’s schedule.

    When they showed up on the day of the move, they laughed at me and said, “Hailey, we would have come to help no matter what time. You didn’t have to reschedule things. You’re becoming more and more Midwestern everyday.”

    Once things calmed down and I could actually walk around my apartment without tripping on boxes, I started thinking about what they had said. I’ve always considered myself a people person. I like people. I like talking to people and I feel like the more you learn about others, the more you learn about yourself. The thing is though, I think I like people a whole lot more now that I’ve moved to Fargo. I don’t want to inconvenience anyone and if someone helps me out, I have to show them how appreciative I am after they do help me (which on that day was shown by 2 large pizzas and a case of “thank-you” beer).

    Not only do I not want to inconvenience anyone, but I also simply like talking to people more than I ever have in the past. The other day I ran into the store quickly while my boyfriend waited in the car. I was in a hurry and in the zone where you don’t really process anything going on around you other then accomplishing your mission and getting done as fast as possible. When I got up to the register, I had to give the cashier my phone number. Of course, my area code is still a Maryland area code and more than once have people been thrown off when I don’t start off with a 701 or a 218 or anything that’s even slightly recognizable to the area. Our conversation went as follows…

    “301? Now that’s different. Where are you from.”

    “Maryland.”

    “Really? What are you doing all the way out here?”

    To which I followed with my usual summary of my life out in the Midwest and what my plans are for this upcoming year. When I left the store, I felt relaxed. My sudden stress and sense of urgency had melted away and I walked out smiling.

    To me, this isn’t just the “Midwest Nice” attitude that I’ve talked about before. Yes, people are friendly and will always help you out, but its something more. People like people here, and it’s ok to slow down and talk to each other.

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  5. Moving on Down

    August 10, 2011 by Becoming Midwestern

    This weekend I moved. Don’t you worry, I didn’t suddenly snap after days and days of ridiculous thunder storms and abandon the Midwest, I simply moved closer to Downtown Fargo.

    Like many people, my favorite part of Fargo is Downtown. I love spending my lunch breaks at the little cafe’s and restaurants, especially Josie’s Corner where there is a hotdish of the day and my sandwich comes with a homemade cookie and carrot sticks or Betrosa’s with their daily lunch specials that always make you feel cozy even on the dreariest of days. The buzz of Downtown Fargo is nonstop with activities going on almost every weekend. From Oktoberfest, where I took a tour of the downtown bar scene and tried my hand at Hammerschlagen (epic fail), to the Street Fair where I tasted my first fry-bread taco, there is always something to do Downtown.

    My very first day experiencing Downtown Fargo.

    When my mom came out from Maryland to visit for the first time last November, I kept asking, “So… what do you think?” Her answer was very similar to what mine is when people ask me what I thought of Fargo when I moved. “I didn’t really know what to expect, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised.” Also like me, she loved the character of Downtown Fargo.

    I’ve used that word “character” a lot in the past week during my move. Not only did we move only walking distance from Downtown, but we moved into a rental with “character”. Yes, its taken a little extra elbow grease to get things cleaned for the first time since 1906 and our couch is now being sold on Craigslist since it won’t fit through the old door frames, but by God, it’s got character! So when I get frustrated that every time I touch the blinds they come crashing down or when the central air kicks on it has a slight musty smell, all I have to do is step outside for a breather and head Downtown.

    (Que the song “Downtown” now getting stuck in my head)

    When you’re alone and life is making you lonely
    You can always go – downtown
    When you’ve got worries, all the noise and the hurry
    Seems to help, I know – downtown
    Just listen to the music of the traffic in the city
    Linger on the sidewalk where the neon signs are pretty
    How can you lose?

    The lights are much brighter there
    You can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares
    So go downtown, things’ll be great when you’re
    Downtown – no finer place, for sure
    Downtown – everything’s waiting for you….

    As a side note, if you are in search of a fabulous and affordable gently-used couch that is extra comfortable or a Pottery Barn armoire with “character”, you should take a gander at my Craiglist postings. :)

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  6. The Golden Rule

    August 3, 2011 by Becoming Midwestern

    On our way out to Fargo last August during our big move, we stopped in Bismarck to stay with some relatives  before unpacking a giant u-haul the next day. We were sitting around the table chatting, and our conversation turned to the topic of crime in North Dakota. Blake’s Aunt mentioned that there are a few incidents that have occurred in the last couple years and you have to be a bit more cautious now than before… like most of the country. She told me a few stories of the most recent murders explaining the basic background information: who, what, when, where, how.

    As soon as his Aunt finished, I remember she looked rather concerned. I think she thought I would jump in my car and drive right back to Washington. The fact was, I was more concerned with the winter weather than the crime. To be honest, I couldn’t believe she could remember names of the individuals. Now, this probably sounds incredibly insensitive on my part, but the fact is, I grew up only about a half hour from DC, and my county neighbored one of the most dangerous counties in the United States. The fact is, I can’t remember the name of a single person that had been killed. It’s not completely shocking when you are watching the news and a few of the stories have to do with crime and murder. Unfortunate and terrible, yes, but shocking, not really.

    Not only to I feel safer in North Dakota than I ever have in my life, but how much people trust one another is new to me as well. Yesterday in the grocery store, I was waiting in the checkout line behind a customer and for whatever reason, one of her items wasn’t ringing up no matter how hard the cashier tried. Finally, the cashier said to the customer, “Do you know how much this was?”

    This isn’t the only time I’d heard a cashier ask this and it also wasn’t the only store I’ve heard them ask it in. The first time I was asked when some ciabatta rolls weren’t ringing up I was stunned. I did in fact know that the rolls were .79 cents a piece and I was honest enough to give the correct price. However, I think my reply went something like this, “They were .79 cents a piece but if you want to go check I totally understand.”

    I expected the cashier to think I was lying. He didn’t.

    The biggest shocker for me was leaving car doors unlocked even while they are warming up in the winter. “Aren’t you worried about someone stealing your car?” I asked a friend.

    “No one is cruel enough to steal someone’s car when it’s -30 degrees outside.” she replied.

    Maybe that’s true, or maybe North Dakota is the one place that is still standing by the golden rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you

     

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