The Top Ten

I've officially been away from home for a week. Thursday marks one week in Tennessee, and Friday will mark one week living at Lee. I feel like I've observed a lot in the past week--some things I knew (or thought I did) and others are new things to ponder and adjust to. Here are the top ten:

1) Southern hospitality is no joke.
And this is coming from a girl from Minnesota where we claim the infamous "Minnesota nice." Dear folks back home, the people of the South put you to shame. We have to step it up a notch if we want to compete with this people. That being said, I am a huge fan of southern hospitality.

2) Blinkers, turn signals--whatever you want to call them--apparently are a thing of the past.
It's been a week, and I can't tell you how many times I've had to slam on my brakes because someone decided to turn last minute with no signal.

3) Speaking of cars, no one seems to speed.
I can't even remember one time where a car in front of me has gone 1-3 mph over the speed limit. If anything, many people drive under the speed limit.

4) Not everyone from the South has an accent.
This freaks me out. I have three roommates, and all of us are from out of state, except for one. She's the only one of the other three who doesn't have a southern accent. It boggles my mind.

5) "Bless your heart" is a real thing.
I had it said to me twice by the same person within about an hour.

6) Super Targets don't exist. Avoid Walmart Supercenters.
I just find Targets without a whole host of groceries incredibly weird. Walmart, on the other hand, is always busy. I've gone in the afternoon, later at night--it's always busy. And, let's be real here, it's Walmart; no one really ever wants to go there unless they have to.

7) Farmhouse?
I had it for the first time tonight. It was actually pretty good yet way different than I expected. I was picturing Famous Dave's type of food (and maybe they do have that), but it wasn't. They do have really good mashed potatoes and cake, though. They're also known for their chicken casserole, which was delicious! Speaking of Famous Dave's, they have one down here! Praise Jesus!

8) They're not kidding about that whole Bible Belt thing.
Churches are everywhere down here. It's fantastic, and I love it. I just didn't realize how true it actually was.

9) Steak 'N' Shake
Best fast food ever. Better than any Culver's I've ever had. People of the North, this is the next thing that needs to invade after Chick-Fil-A is done making their mark. My goodness, it's good.

10) I feel like I'm living in a small town. It's great.
There's something that's always spoken to me about southern small towns. Maybe it's the history, maybe it's the community, maybe it's the southern charm that they always have. I get all of that here at Lee and in Cleveland. Lee itself could be considered a small town, and Cleveland can seem like one at times. I've always wanted to live in the South, and whenever I would picture that, I would picture a small town, a house with a porch, and a dog sitting by me on the steps. One can dream, right?

BONUS:

11) I love southern accents.
They're so much more fantastic in person. The word "y'all" is amazing.

12) Unless you know you like it, don't drink sweet tea.
Enough said.

Well, folks, those are my top 12 things I've noticed in a week. At some point, I'm sure I'll write about school, which is why I'm here after all.

Allyson