i'm a novelty.

the longer i have been in vermont, the more i feel like an outsider. this statement is not in reference to the people i am living with. i love them and am establishing some incredible friendships, but instead, it has more to do with the state of vermont in general. i came to vermont with the crazy thought that all the differences between the north and the south were simply a myth. i had decided that movies like "sweet home alabama" were people's sole basis for the idea that the north and the south are two separate worlds. my first few days in the green mountain state seemed to prove my theory right, but as time has worn on, i have discovered that it is impossible to take in an entire culture in a short period of time. it's been about 3 weeks now, and i should be entering the "feeling at home" phase. i know my way around the city, i've seen all the big attractions, and i've already found my favorite coffee house, but everyday i feel less and less a part of what is going on around me. and i couldn't be happier about that!

if i have learned anything up here, it is that i am a southern girl, and it shows. maybe it's the boots or the over usage of the word yall, but it never gets old to these new englanders. i was at the mall just yesterday, and in 2 out of the 3 stores i went in, i got this strange look from the person ringing up my purchase followed by the question, "where are you from?" when i answered them, they both responded with, "ahhh, i knew it." they then went on to tell me every person that they have ever come in contact with from the south. "oh, i had a customer one time from south carolina; i think her name was sue." or " my second cousin married a guy from arkansas." they tell me these meaningless facts as if i should know every person who has ever ventured south of the mason-dixon line. 

i've been trying to compile a list of differences between the north and the south. living in this foreign culture, it is very easy for me to see the differences, but i have found it extremely difficult to put into words. so much of the gap between the north and the south is abstract...  but here is my best shot at the top ten tangible differences. enjoy.

1. only in vermont would you witness a nude anti-war protest. as long as you leave your house naked, public nudity is legal. 

2. only in vermont could you decide to see a brand new movie on a friday night, go to the theater in the middle of town, arrive 5 minutes late for the show, and still get tickets. 

3. only in vermont would you feel like you are going to hell because you have never recycled in your life. 

4. only in vermont is there a maple-flavored option for everything. 

5. only in vermont is ice hockey discussed with the same intensity as football in the state of alabama. using phrases such as the iron bowl, bear bryant, houndstooth, bryant-denny stadium, the quad, tailgating, and bbq create much confusion.  

6. only in vermont would you find the number of subarus on the road equivalent to the number of pick-up trucks in alabama. 

7. only in vermont would the coast of the lake be a lame excuse for a beach. they have no idea!

8. only mid-summer in vermont would you find yourself cold in your unair-conditioned dorm room.

9. only in vermont would you find yourself applying for a job at hollister when you don't even own one item of clothing from that store. (this one has more personal relevance.)

10. only in vermont am i a novelty. 

 

along with all of the cultural differences, i am also adapting to a new diet. here at the program, one of the student's job is to be the cook for the summer. our cook is harmen. he is a student from holland. he studied "abroad" in boston last year and got hooked in with the navigators during his time there. the leaders asked him to come be a part of the program this summer and to also cook for us. he is really funny, and his accent adds a lot... however, he cooks some off the wall dishes. i realize we are on a budget but still. the things he comes up with sometimes blow my mind. jalapenos and curry are his favorite ingredients to cook with. that right there poses a problem for me: i hate spicy food. thankfully, there are others that share my feelings in this area, so harmen has had to lay off the dang-spicy flavoring. nonetheless our meals are always a surprise. so far, my favorite dinners have been the moroccan finger-food dinner of couscous and other weird things, and last night's breakfast for dinner complete with dutch pancakes. i feel like i am having a taste of so many cultures here in vermont this summer!

i would like to also discuss my hollister interview for a few minutes. you may be wondering why hollister is even in the picture because i have been so vocal about my glamourous job slicing meat in the deli of the price chopper. sadly enough, the price chopper is not giving me enough hours, so i have decided to pick up job number 2, and naturally i went straight to hollister. well, not really. lizzie worked there last summer, so i decided to give it a shot since it is semi-familiar territory. yesterday was my interview, and in getting ready for it, i came to the understanding that nothing in my closet is either from hollister or even resembles the hollister style. the sad ensemble that i put together was my sister's american eagle shirt that somehow ended up with me in vermont, my kaki shorts from target that are i don't even know how old, my old navy flipflops, and my anthropologie bag. it was anything but a winning combination. still i raved about hollister's stellar style during my interview. my favorite thing from my interview was learning what hollister's catch phrase is, and boy is it original. "hey! what's up?" apparently, if you don't say that to every customer who walks through the door, you are not doing your job. 

in conclusion, i am going to leave you with one excellent reason why you do not want me to assist you with your deli meat needs. at work on wednesday, i had a sweet lady ask for a pound of kosher turkey shaved. now mind you, my knowledge of things kosher is non-existent. still, i wanted to look like i knew what i was doing when in reality, i had no idea. i ended up opening the turkey with a regular meat knife... apparently a big no-no. however, i went ahead and sliced the meat on the "kosher slicer" and gave the turkey to the lady anyways. i am a terrible person. 

hope all is well down in alabama and all the other places my friends and family are this summer! forgive me if i haven't called in a while or written; life gets busy. still, i love yall.

helping the south to rise again,

b