Impressions of the Midwest – The People

It’s been four months since we moved to Columbus, Ohio, so it’s time to comment on my impressions of Midwestern living.

First, I was born and raised in California. I lived in New York for 5 years, got married and lived overseas for 13 years. The last 18 years were spent in Texas. So, having lived in the West, the East, and the South, it was time for me to move to the Midwest.

I really didn’t have any conceptions about what life would be like, but guess what? I have fallen in love with the people! Yes, that’s right, Midwesterners are so nice! What makes them so nice? One person offered the explanation that Midwesterners love sports, and sports brings people together. All I know is there’s a real family feeling around here, and I’m part of the family.

After we had been here a week, it dawned on me that one of my roommates was from Columbus. I did some checking around, and it was true, my fourth roommate from Brooklyn lived seven miles from me. Incredible! She attends the “sister” congregation in the same Kingdom Hall. I got her phone number and we reconnected right away. We see each other almost every week, and in fact, I just saw her today. My heart is so full of joy.

Roomies in Brooklyn circa 1986

Reconnecting with my roomie

Another thing about Midwesterners is that they are very social. Since our congregation was newly formed and many did not know each other, some members organized a Sisters Night Out. We played a game where we could take as many toilet paper squares as we wanted, and that the more we took, the more fun it would be. I could see where this was going, so I only took one square.

Now, the game was for each toilet square you took, you had to say something about yourself. There were around 40 sisters, so it seemed like a good way for all of us to learn some basics and keep within a decent timeframe. My turn came around, and while I wanted to channel Sally Fields “You like me!” acceptance speech, I instead stood up and said, “I moved here from Texas one month ago, and I am so happy to be here. Everyone has been so welcoming.”

Before we came here, we decided we were going to hit the social circuit hard. Little did we realize how easy it would be to make friends. In the past four months, in addition to our parties at our apartment lounge, I have been invited bowling, square dancing, card making, out to eat, and a bunch of other parties.

So, even though we have lived through a severe winter, I am feeling very cozy and warm.