Do you miss your hometown culture as a relatively new resident of the DC area? (Washington: houses, unemployment)
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Location: Standing outside of heaven, wating for God to come and get me.
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I miss Mississippi and New Orleans culture a lot. I miss the frenchman area and the brass bands to no end. God, I wish I could hear Rebirth crank it up one more time. Yall have got me started now.
The problem with the Greater DC area from my perspective is there are just not enought people like my husband and I. (White 5th generation American Midwestern small town low key laid back types.). While everyone in the Midwest is different to a point, there are some shared personality and cultural simularities between us that makes it comfortable and easy to deal with day to day interpersonal challenges.
I find that the DC area is just to foreign to me. Over 50% of the people in Northern VA appear to be immigrants. A true United Nations of people. Individually most of these foreign people are no different than me and are good people who want the same things as me in life. But I find that most people are balkanized into their own ethnic groups. The second large group of people in the DC area is the TYPE A super ego arrogant super success types. I respect their abilties and intellect but don't like them personally.
I go back to the Midwest or the Rocky Mountain States and I see lots of people who seem more like me. I don't want to live where everyone is like me, I like a little diversity but in the Greater DC there is too much diversity and I can not relate.
(I like all the trees and all the interesting places to go on weekends here, just not the social and ESL culture)
Last edited by The Outcast; 09-08-2010 at 07:21 AM..
I think some of you may need expand your horizons a bit. The DC area and surrounding region is vast.
Have you dined at the many fine restaurants in DC, Virginia and Maryland? How about Blues Alley in Georgetown? Been to a concert at Wolf Trap or Jiffy Lube Live? Been to the Blue Ridge mountains? How about Harpers Ferry in W. Virginia or Deep Creek Lake in western Maryland? Been to Great Falls or National Harbor or Baltimore or Annapolis waterfronts? Been to the Maryland Renaissance Festival? Have you taken a ride aboard the Odyssey on the Potomac? Did you know there are more than 30 wineries in Maryland alone? Check out Solomons Island in southern Maryland, I went there this weekend. If you haven't been to Maryland's eastern shore, then you know what to do.
Get out and explore. I don't see how it's possible not to find something you enjoy in the area.
Last edited by BigCityDreamer; 09-08-2010 at 07:03 AM..
Do we all need to get together for a small town powwow?
I echo some of the sentiments. I enjoy the diversity and having a lot more to do if I want. But the Type A personalities and super fast pace lifestyle are a little much at times. Thankfully, I live in an apartment in a residential neighborhood in between H Street and Eastern Market. When walking around this neighborhood I feel at least a little removed from the hustle and bustle of downtown.
Like many of you, I'd prefer to live somewhere else if I could. But I'm not sure the nature of my work will ever permit it. I'll eventually have to face a decision of compromising what I love to do with where I love to live.
I will say, though, that in the short amount of time I've been here you can find nice people. They're everywhere. Is it like being in a small town? No. But there's also not the nosey factor that comes with small town life as well. :P
I grew up in the Midwest as well. With the exception of one trip, I've spent my entire life there. I do miss my family, friends and familiarity of my surroundings. I also miss the midwestern friendliness that I do not see here. Back in my hometown, I could walk into a diner and have a talk with the guy next to me about sports, politics, etc., but I feel people are just less connected to one another here. I may live 10 feet from my neighbor, but we are total strangers. I don't think that would occur in my hometown. Then again, I'm not white, so I would guess that my neighbors would keep a watchful eye on me as well. There are a lot of great things about the Midwest, but it's certainly a racist place, and that is not something I would miss.
For me, I really enjoy walking the streets and seeing people from all different walks of life and from different parts of the world. It's a lot of fun to go out and visit an Ethiopian place one day, an Afghani place the next and a Peruvian place after that. I like wandering around all the farmer's markets and cultural festivals as well. I enjoy seeing other cultures being celebrated and warmly received by the community. On Sundays, there's a market at 18th and Columbia (or about there) where a lot of vendors from Latin America come and sell food, jewelry and other nice things. It's nice to see that stuff, and I can't imagine something like that being encouraged in the Midwest (with a handful of exceptions). It's true that things tend to balkanize, but I've found the being polite and slightly aggressive can soften things up among groups. I enjoy being in a culturally diverse city like DC and can't imagine wanting to return to a place without things like this. I know it's unsettling to have your world shaken up, but sometimes it is a good thing--something you should embrace because it will force you to reevaluated attitudes and make you grow.
In my limited time here, DC does have a disproportionally high number of Type A people, but you will find it anywhere you go. It's not fun, but there are obvious ways of handling it.
I also agree with BigCityDreamer's sentiments. DC is a big place, and there is a lot to explore in the neighboring communities so go out and explore.
You all are confusing "Midwest" with small town. Do you really think living in the Midwestern city of Chicago is much different than DC? Do you really think everybody's white, talks about their church, and waves hello, and calls you up when you're having a bad day in Chicago?
What you miss when you say you want to be around simple, white Midwestern folk is your rural upbringing. You're not interested in expanding your horizons, which is fine, bit don't hold that against DC simply because it's a city with an economy that attracts motivated people.
I spent five years in Chicago. Four years in college (on the south side no less) and one year in Americorps. Chicago is not small town America, but it still possesses some of the midwestern friendliness. People are still nice there. I've been in DC about a month, and there is something distinct about it--and it is not just the big city feel. Chicago has that too, but people are, in my experience, generally nice folks.
Like you, I suspect that some people feel uncomfortable because DC has upset their equilibrium about race, culture and other things. On the other hand, I think it's better to just see if they can push thru these things and see if they can eventually get comfortable with change and hopefully grow from it.
I have traveled to forty foreign countries and lived all over the country and still I feel like an outsider in the DC area. I have expanded my horizons but feel like a foreigner in the DC area being a white minority. Nearly everyone in my neighborhood is ESL.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bluefly
What you miss when you say you want to be around simple, white Midwestern folk is your rural upbringing. You're not interested in expanding your horizons, which is fine, bit don't hold that against DC simply because it's a city with an economy that attracts motivated people.
I spent five years in Chicago. Four years in college (on the south side no less) and one year in Americorps. Chicago is not small town America, but it still possesses some of the midwestern friendliness. People are still nice there. I've been in DC about a month, and there is something distinct about it--and it is not just the big city feel. Chicago has that too, but people are, in my experience, generally nice folks.
Like you, I suspect that some people feel uncomfortable because DC has upset their equilibrium about race, culture and other things. On the other hand, I think it's better to just see if they can push thru these things and see if they can eventually get comfortable with change and hopefully grow from it.
I suspect that distinction you notice is more of a general east coast thing than much to do with DC in particular. Boston to DC is just not a stretch of cities known for being particularly friendly or outgoing until you know someone.
I have traveled to forty foreign countries and lived all over the country and still I feel like an outsider in the DC area. I have expanded my horizons but feel like a foreigner in the DC area being a white minority. Nearly everyone in my neighborhood is ESL.
Perhaps it's your neighborhood and not the city. No shortage of predominantly white neighborhoods if that's what you seek.
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