The Midwest in Me

Mom, I know you LOVE this pic so I made it extra big for you!

I am currently in Chicago right now which means that I am with my family and oh-so-happy! This also means that I am back to my roots and in my element more than ever surrounded by those who know and love me the most. Although I live and love New York, I am a true Chicagoan (and Midwesterner) at heart.

In two more years and I will officially be a New Yorker. Everyone says once you live here for 10 years you are considered a New Yorker. Well I have eight under my belt and I already feel like one. A couple years ago, How I Met Your Mother did an episode on what makes someone a New Yorker. They decided decided that you're not a real New Yorker until you have:

• Seen Woody Allen
• Stolen a cab from someone who needs it more than you
• Cried on the Subway and not given a damn what anyone thinks
• Killed a cockroach with your bare hand

There are tons of lists on what makes a real New Yorker and what doesn't. Some are pretty spot on and some are not. I do know that I see celebs quite frequently (but I do still get excited. Sue me.), I have cried on the subway without caring, yelled into my phone at someone on the street not giving a shit who can hear me, know bouncers at bars where I don't get carded when everyone else I am with does, get my extra salad dressing at the restaurant next door without even having to ask anymore, know exactly where to stand on the subway platform as to where the exit or the transfer is, and the list goes on. I mean, I love New York and am proud to live here.

However, As much as I do love New York, I was born and raised in Chicago and you can't take out the Midwest out of me no matter how many years I live in New York. There are some things that are just a part of me. First of all, my accent is still alive and kicking. People constantly ask where I am from because I still carry my high A's. After coming back to NYC after a trip at home or when I drink a lot, my accent comes out more than usual. But its not so much my accent that sometimes gives me away, its the language and certain vocabulary I use that are straight up Midwest. There are some terms that are very East Coast, and even New York specific that I never picked up on living here and never will. I just can't. They are not phrases or words I grew up using and they are not ones that I intend on using.

Although I have lived here and picked up other NY-centric sayings and doings, I still don't say:

1) Soda. It's pop!! I don't even drink pop anymore (7 years and counting), but its just so easy to say. One syllable. Sounds delicious, fun, and refreshing. But soda. Meh, soda sounds boring and lame. But people here still say I and look at me like I am clinically insane for saying it. They immediately ask me to repeat myself and then when they realize they did hear me call it pop, they ask me where I am from. I proudly proclaim: "Chicago, bitches!"

2) Sneakers. They are gym shoes. I have a shoe obsession. Especially gym shoes. I have a lot of them. A lot I tell you. My mom thinks I need an intervention. But I don't. I just really like them and find them comfy and wear them 95% of the time. I assume many people use the word sneakers because they think that gym shoes are just shoes you wear to the gym, but they are just simply athletic shoes (whether you are athletic or not). People here don't really seem to get that.

3) Handbags. Um, its a purse. It's usually older ladies that use this term, but it is definitely an East Coast term. I hear it a lot when I visit my grandparents in Florida. That's mostly because a lot of the older ladies up there are from NYC or the tri-state area.

4) Waiting on line. Don't even get me started with this one. I don't get it. You are waiting IN line people. IN. Not ON line. Where did this phrase start? Why do people continue to say it? Because I am annoying and can be an asshole, whenever my friends say it, I correct them automatically. They hate it. It makes me laugh every single time.
Friend: I was waiting on-line at the store and this woman cut me...
Me: You mean waiting IN line.
Friend: Shut-up, you suck.

While I am in Chicago, I won't have to hear anyone use these terms which will be a relief as they often make me cringe. I will also hear people talk super similarly to me. I love that! There is no such thing as a Chicago accent in Chicago. We are all the same. But soon enough I will be back in New York. However, as long as I lived there now, you'd think I'd be use to it and embrace it already. Meh. I most likely will not add these words to my reportoire, but you never know. However, as much as I try to embrace it, you will not catch me ever "Waiting ON line." Ever.