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.
