Culture Shock 39

Nothing like waking up on a Friday morning to a tick walking across your arm. YUCK! I am officially grossed out.

I know this testifies to my prissy, non-farmgirl status; that I'm skirmish at the sight of a bug. But it was in my bed!

I can now kill a cockroach on sight. I can smash a spider without screaming, as long as it hasn't touched me. I can swat a wasp out of midair.

BUT A TICK IN MY BED? I have to draw the line somewhere.

I feel like they are all over me right now. Gotta go change the sheets...

Culture Shock 38

THINGS I MISS FROM HOME:
(Not counting people!)

Dollar movies during the summer.
A dry summer.
A park to walk to.
Trader Joes.
Grandma's swimming pool.
Free babysitting, thanks Grammie & Grandma.
Brentwood Community Band and playing my saxophone.
Flute Choir.
Burritos.
Kettle Corn.
Farmers Market just around the corner.
Baby clothes swap.
I didn't own an umbrella.

Culture Shock 37

It seems that weather is a HOT topic for me! It's so different out here and effects me in so many different ways.

I haven't said much about tornadoes. They terrify me. I've learned the difference between a tornado "watch" and a "warning." We've had 2 warnings since I've been here. We have our little shelter ready in the middle of the house.

A little bit of thunder has never scared me. Actually, a lot of thunder never scared me... until now. In California,  I lived in the hills. Even while at college, my house backed up to the mountains. I say that because the hills must have blocked sound waves. The thunder here in Mississippi rolls on and on and on. Not quietly; not soothingly; not gently. It's magnificent. It has woken me from a dead sleep twice in one night. It's made me jump and drop my utensils while cooking. It's made me grab on to my babies a little tighter! IT IS LOUD!

We have to turn off and unplug our computers and tvs when the lightning gets severe. That is new! Not a complete SHOCK (pun intended!) But still different.

Culture Shock 36

Ants. Yes. California has ants. There are even some pretty decent sized ones if you go up into the redwoods.

But OUCH!! We all learned the hard way that the ants in Mississippi bite!

I used to mess with ant colonies as a kid. Not here. NOT HERE!

There is not much else to say about that.

Culture Shock 35

I'm the foreigner here. That is the shock to me. Thank goodness everyone is sweet enough to see my learning curve.

Though it can be difficult for me to understand an accent, children look at me as though I'm not even speaking English.

I am forgiven when I say "freeway" instead of "highway. "

When I say the name of a town with the wrong inflection, people just stare at me until they can interpret what I've said.

If I say "Costco" or "Trader Joes" or "In N Out," I'm the weird one. (Even though I secretly think ya'll are weird for not knowing what those are! JK!)

Culture Shock 34

I'm wearing a tank top. The boys are in shirts and flip flops. All is well and hot outside.

We step from the store to find the ground soaked, our car wet, the sun out as we are getting sprinkled on.

Did I mention that it was a sunny day? Even as we got wet from the sprinkles,  the sun shone down and dried everything up.

Culture Shock 33

Kroger, really?

My milk does not need a plastic bag. First, it's too heavy and the bag breaks anyway. Second, a milk jug has a handle built in.

I totally forgot I bought a reusable grocery bag until I got home from Kroger this afternoon. Really, Kroger? You bagged my bag? Kind of defeats the purpose...

Culture Shock 32

We had an amazing time at a birthday party this past week. Jumpy house, water slide, cake, ice cream, feeding the horses, driving an atv, piñata smashing.

Speaking of piñatas, I was worried that my 9 year old would bust the thing open before the younger ones got a chance to swing.

All went well. My 18 mo. old even swung the bat and had fun.

The shocker:

As my son goes up to swing, I hear from the back of the line of kids, "Beat it like it's your son!"

WHAT!

But the most shocking part was that no one acted like they heard. Not one adult made a move or a snicker. Friends from California, tell me that you would have reacted! Tell me that you would have at least laughed out loud! No one made a peep!

Later that evening, my husband mentioned it. He had been at a different location than I was. If he and I heard it, I know others did too! I'm still laughing!