Saturday, June 7, 2008

Culture Shock

I was in line at Wal-Mart (yes, they have those here). In front of me was a girl about 2-3 years older than me. She was wearing a tight belly shirt and had a dragon tattoo on her lower back and another tattoo on her neck. Fearing the worst, I decided to try doing my best to look nice (so as not to offend her). There were no divider thingies on the check-out conveyor belt so I was going to wait until the checker was mostly done with 'mean-looking-lady's stuff before I started to put mine up.. just to avoid confusion. When she turned and spoke to me, I had the surprise of my lifetime. This is what she said: "Go ahead sweetie" Then she smiled.

Okay, so in Arizona, Utah, and Oregon (the three states I have lived in) I would expect this person to not say anything at all to me. But I guess here in Texas people are a little bit different.

I couldn't decide if I was slightly offended (in my experience being called 'sweetie' is almost like being talked down to) or just taken aback by such niceness. It did answer the questions I had about why the lady at the drive-through earlier that day kept calling me 'hunny' though. I guess I'll just have to get used to it.

I promise you this though: I will never start using the words 'sweetie' and 'hunny' in my vocabulary. NEVER. I refuse to let ya'll think that I'm gonna be gettin' an accent while I'm here in Texas.

11 comments:

Kate said...

Maybe I have my brother-in-law to thank for it, but crazy tattoos on people don't really affect me when it comes to how I think they'll act. I'm glad this lady was really cool to you. :)

Happy to know you made it safely to Texas. I'm excited to hear about your adventures!

Bethany said...

ah, those crazy texans! i just remember thinking that they were all so friendly, more than I wanted them to be! Don't pick up on "fixin'" either!

congrats on the move though. that's really exciting. i miss having you around here.

Anali said...

I think the type of tattoo changes my pre-conceptions - if it's a dragon (or other fantasy beastie), I usually think they'll be pretty cool. Skulls or naked women - I usually think I might need to avoid them a little.

Sarah said...

yeah i was shocked my first day of school in tx in 4th grade. I still say ya'll and sometimes fixin'...but i spent most of my life in the south soooo, yeah!

Havilah said...

Well just so ya'll know, I have nothing against people with tattoos (I married a guy with a tattoo after all) I guess it's just my first impression of a person with a tattoo is always that they are tougher than me so I naturally cower in their presence. This probably has more to do with my confidence level than the actual person with the tattoo. Thanks for the comments ya'll.

Oh also, I've decided that 'ya'll' actually makes a lot more sense than 'you guys' so I might actually start using it.

Jazz said...

Hi Havi! I know you haven't heard from me in a long time. I guess you'll be getting some mail forwarded to you from your parents. Anyway, it's Jess! I have a mission companion from Lubbock, so if you meet the Lisonbee family (in your ward or stake or something) they are pretty cool peeps.

Well, I'm T minus Four Days until the Big Day. I'll email you pictures. :D

Cynthia Lyn said...

Don't worry, you CAN say "honey" and "sweetie" without being a Texan. . . Shayleigh calls me that all the time. . .

Jessica said...

Famous last words Havilah. I am attempting to start choir up again and I miss having you and Mike around! :( Keep in touch!

Justin said...

Havilah,
Hey there! I found your blog after some searching. It's good to see what you are up to. Congratulations on the new job in big Ol Texas! I hope you enjoy it there. It was fun to see you in the Grocery store. Visit my website when you can to check up on us. Holmsplace.googlepages.com
Your kids are adorable.
Keep in touch,
Melanie Holm

Lis said...

'Ya'll' is a practical word. I think it will be cute if it sticks on you. You know I love Texas. It has it's ups and downs just like anywhere else but our family has a lot of history there. I hope you enjoy it. Love, Mom

Lis said...

I mean I hope Ya'll enjoy it! I've been away too long!