Nathan: Is there any part you don’t miss at all about the Midwest?
Meg: People here are really fit. Ohio I think is the second most overweight state.
N: Yeah Michigan is way up there too.
M: Going to workout is a habit of a lot of the New Yorkers so that gets me motivated to go do it too. It’s more fun here because instead of me working out by myself back home I’m with a lot of people I know here when I go workout.
N: Its much more part of the culture here
M: Exactly, Another thing is here at Emory the dining options don’t have nearly as many unhealthy options and you finally have the option to make the good choice whereas back home people try to eat healthy but at the end of the day fried chicken and ribs and so many other healthy foods are readily available.
N: I also feel like the portions here are much smaller
M: Yes, and going to the DUC you often make your own portions, but here you don’t feel weird taking a smaller more healthy sized portion where you might be looked down upon if you did that in the Midwest.
N: In the classics line they always give you very small portions which takes getting used to being used to the gigantic portions they give you in the Midwest.
M: Totally, back home the plates are also larger compared to the plates here. I’ve also noticed that they are smaller in New York too. There is soul food here obviously but just in smaller portions.
N: It has definitely taken some getting used to for me.
M: I do miss the drivers though, here in Atlanta the drivers are like horrible.
N: People drive so much slower here. It’s the more laidback attitude. In the Midwest everybody is always in a rush to get everywhere.
N: How has growing up in the Midwest helped define you as a person?
M: It has made me a lot more patient compared to some of the people here who want everything right now. Also this is sort of unrelated but I walk faster than the California people, but slower than the New Yorkers. As a person I think I am more sympathetic and am able to sympathize with people by being able to put myself in another person’s shoes. I don’t know if that’s just me or
N: Yeah I can do that too. Especially being from a very diverse area.
M: I just think I am nicer. That might be kind of unfair to say. There are definitely some exceptions to this, but a lot of people just don’t have the time of day to ask you how you are doing in a really genuine way.
N: I feel like people here are very friendly surface, but they don’t care a much about what you are saying.
M: I also enjoy being outdoors a lot where as a lot of people who grew up close to a big city don’t enjoy it as much. I like being active not to just be in shape but be active for the sake of bonding with people.
N: were also much more tolerant of the weather since were used to very a extreme climate. And just in general we don’t complain as much.
M: YES!!
N: I feel like complaining is really looked down upon in the Midwest
M: You just kind of suck it up and keep it more to yourself instead of always complaining outlook. This goes back to how people talk about themselves more. I’ve been to dinners where I can barely get a word in. Sometimes its essentially people are just having conversations with themselves and you don’t even need to be there, its as if you just a body there.
N: Its like your just feeding their conversation about themselves
M: You go like “yeah” and then they are going off again
Meg: People here are really fit. Ohio I think is the second most overweight state.
N: Yeah Michigan is way up there too.
M: Going to workout is a habit of a lot of the New Yorkers so that gets me motivated to go do it too. It’s more fun here because instead of me working out by myself back home I’m with a lot of people I know here when I go workout.
N: Its much more part of the culture here
M: Exactly, Another thing is here at Emory the dining options don’t have nearly as many unhealthy options and you finally have the option to make the good choice whereas back home people try to eat healthy but at the end of the day fried chicken and ribs and so many other healthy foods are readily available.
N: I also feel like the portions here are much smaller
M: Yes, and going to the DUC you often make your own portions, but here you don’t feel weird taking a smaller more healthy sized portion where you might be looked down upon if you did that in the Midwest.
N: In the classics line they always give you very small portions which takes getting used to being used to the gigantic portions they give you in the Midwest.
M: Totally, back home the plates are also larger compared to the plates here. I’ve also noticed that they are smaller in New York too. There is soul food here obviously but just in smaller portions.
N: It has definitely taken some getting used to for me.
M: I do miss the drivers though, here in Atlanta the drivers are like horrible.
N: People drive so much slower here. It’s the more laidback attitude. In the Midwest everybody is always in a rush to get everywhere.
N: How has growing up in the Midwest helped define you as a person?
M: It has made me a lot more patient compared to some of the people here who want everything right now. Also this is sort of unrelated but I walk faster than the California people, but slower than the New Yorkers. As a person I think I am more sympathetic and am able to sympathize with people by being able to put myself in another person’s shoes. I don’t know if that’s just me or
N: Yeah I can do that too. Especially being from a very diverse area.
M: I just think I am nicer. That might be kind of unfair to say. There are definitely some exceptions to this, but a lot of people just don’t have the time of day to ask you how you are doing in a really genuine way.
N: I feel like people here are very friendly surface, but they don’t care a much about what you are saying.
M: I also enjoy being outdoors a lot where as a lot of people who grew up close to a big city don’t enjoy it as much. I like being active not to just be in shape but be active for the sake of bonding with people.
N: were also much more tolerant of the weather since were used to very a extreme climate. And just in general we don’t complain as much.
M: YES!!
N: I feel like complaining is really looked down upon in the Midwest
M: You just kind of suck it up and keep it more to yourself instead of always complaining outlook. This goes back to how people talk about themselves more. I’ve been to dinners where I can barely get a word in. Sometimes its essentially people are just having conversations with themselves and you don’t even need to be there, its as if you just a body there.
N: Its like your just feeding their conversation about themselves
M: You go like “yeah” and then they are going off again