minnesotan nice

LINK: minnesotan nice

Currently listening to: I’m With You – Avril Lavigne

Isn’t anyone tryin’ to find me?
Won’t somebody come take me home?
It’s a damn cold night
Trying to figure out this life
Won’t you take me by the hand?
Take me somewhere new
I don’t know who you are
But I, I’m with you
I’m with you, yeah, yeah

What aspects of your life will remain constant despite the changes happening around you?

Prompt created by yours truly. 
Feel free to use any prompts for November that I post and/or tag me.
I’d love to read your responses.

I’ve mentioned many times in the past that I’ve moved around quite a bit, living in different cities and even different states. I’ve learned to adapt to different environments along the way through the experiences I’ve gone through, the people I’ve met, and the lessons I’ve learned. But one thing that still remains as a constant for me is that I continue to consider myself as a Minnesotan.

Minnesotans are notoriously known for being “Minnesota nice,” and I think I have a reputation of being too nice, at least that’s what my colleagues tell me. TBH, my level of niceness is on par with other Minnesotans. They are courteous, accommodating, resilient, and not about inconveniencing other people… but then again, I dislike confrontation. A lot.

Growing up in Minnesota was anything but idyllic. I experienced blatant racism as a child, but things did improve as I got older. A shit ton better.

I miss knowing my neighbors, the kindness from strangers, strong sense of state pride, and being surrounded by those who have common sense. I even miss the long-winded goodbyes that seem to take forever whenever I leave a friend’s home. I’ll never turn down cheese curds, hot dish with tater tots or wild rice, pan-friend walleye, lefse, chicken tibs, or chapati wraps. I’ll forever bleed purple, listen to just about anything sung by Prince, sip on my Caribou Coffee, and carry my Minnesotan accent wherever I go.

I guess those little things have become so embedded in me that it’s shaped who I am as an adult. You can take the girl out of Minnesota, but you can’t take the Minnesota out of the girl.

It’s kinda funny… even though I was born in California, I feel like an imposter living here. I feel like I don’t belong, maybe because I seem rather “unsophisticated” and very much homely in comparison to my friends in Los Angeles. Don’t judge my fit that’s from Walmart, Target, or Costco. Hell, I still get weirded out when I’m surrounded by Koreans, despite being Korean myself. I’m definitely not interested in Keeping Up with the Kardashians Kims either.

It’s not to say that I don’t love California. I do. The opportunities that I’ve been afforded here, the vast diversity of people/culture/foods, the access to different experiences, and of course… the weather (for the most part) are hard to beat. There are reasons why I’ve stayed. I am truly grateful for that.

But if you ever hear me say “uff da” or “ya shore you betcha”, just know that Minnesota is still very much alive and well in me.