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Coming (Going) to America

Double ZDouble Z
edited May 2011 in Everything Else
Well, guys it seems that no wall can stop me, and I will be living in the US for a year. Unlike Eddie Murphy, I won't be looking for a wife, I'll be working.
I recently changed jobs and my new company is sending me to live on the US for one year to get training in fiber optics, and to learn how everything works to get the bare fiber into actual cable.

I'll be moving to North Carolina, Winston-Salem to be exact. This will be my first time actually living in a different country and the first time in that part of the USA.

So I come to you for advise, ideas on what to do, or what not to do, and what to expect from the good southern folk.

Comments

  • VigaViga
    Comments about your accent. It will be either praise, confusion or insulting to the person. It depends. Southern BBQ is the best.
  • George PatchesGeorge Patches
    People in the south generally take the baby jesus very seriously. If you do not likewise love the baby jesus, it's probably a good idea to avoid the topic.
  • HungryJoeHungryJoe
    Using the thickest accent you can muster, tell everyone that you are here to steal a job that could be done by a natural born citizen.

    Ask very woman you meet to marry you for green card purposes.

    Let everyone know that you are planning to bring all of your family members to settle here with you as soon as possible to live on welfare and social programs.

    Ask everyone to show you their birth certificates.

    Since you're going to be in the South, try to work the Civil War and Slavery into as many conversations as possible. People in the South love that.

    Make sure you praise Obama's policies by saying they will make the U.S. more like your country.

    Act as gay as possible. People in the South love homosexuals.
  • XefasXefas
    Folk in the South are the same as any other folk. So long as you're in a big city.

    If you're in a small town, my advice would be to figure out which kind of small town you're in, first and foremost. You don't want to be in one o' the murderin' ones. If you're in one of the free barbecue southern hospitality ones, thems good people.

    Those murderin' ones, though; you gotta watch out for those.
  • ChurbaChurba
    I'll be moving to North Carolina, Winston-Salem to be exact. This will be my first time actually living in a different country and the first time in that part of the USA.
    Gunter knows that area, I'd put extra weight behind his advice.
  • MattMatt
    Hmmm it's about 2 1/2 hours to the east, but I've heard that the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area has a pretty good geek scene. There seems to be a preponderance of board game bloggers from there as well.
  • WalkerWalker
    edited May 2011
    I haven't been to Winston Salem, but judging by the are around you it's a good place to be. Just an hour and a half to the west you've got the Blue Ridge Parkway, which has a lot of beautiful places to go hiking and skiing. To the east you've got a bunch of college towns like Greensboro, High Point, Raleigh and Durham, which usually means a good supply of geekery. The biggest performances and bands always to either Charlotte or Raleigh, and you're roughly an equal distance from both of them.

    Culturally speaking only Xefas is on the right track. For one, southerners, like most people, tend to be perfectly reasonable. On the subject of religion and politics you can expect arguments, but nothing that will cause a scene or even lower their opinion of you as long as you're polite and intelligent about it. For another, NC is one of the most culturally northern states below the Mason-Dixon. You'll find a lot of people who from New York, Ohio, Michigan and Illinois who moved down here for the weather and jobs (haha). I don't know where you're moving from or how good your English is, but you'll most likely get a lot of annoying (but perfectly innocent) questions and comments about where you're from. If you do run into a loud, ignorant, xenophobic good ol' boy, find the other people in the room who are avoiding him and go hang out with them.

    As for all the little towns in between, there are some shitty/scary ones. Despite what some might tell you, if there's an official-looking missionary organization nearby you're probably good. Places with a lot of missionaries attract a good element as far as small southern towns go. The crazy missionaries keep to themselves, and the ones who aren't are used to different cultures, accepting of opposing viewpoints, and pretty smart more often than not. Overall, crazy or otherwise, they're not a group of people to be frightened of.

    Oh, and if you're ever in the southern Charlotte area, hit me up and I'll tell you where all the best restaurants are.
    Post edited by Walker on
  • AlanAlan
    You will run into many small time politicians selling boiled peanuts on the side of the road. I recomend you try them because they are delicious.
  • RuffasRuffas
    You will run into many small time politicians selling boiled peanuts on the side of the road. I recomend you try them because they are delicious.
    While I agree, I find that most people from the north (no idea about foreigners) find the very idea of boiled peanuts disgusting.
  • WindUpBirdWindUpBird
    I know Southerners who think that boiled peanuts are revolting.
  • FunfetusFunfetus
    How is a boiled peanut different from a raw or roasted peanut? Do they get soggy and swell up or something?
  • WindUpBirdWindUpBird
    How is a boiled peanut different from a raw or roasted peanut? Do they get soggy and swell up or something?
    Wikipedia has a ton of info. Apparently, they take on the texture of a very salty and firm bean (makes sense; they're legumes, not true nuts). Sounds right up my alley.
  • RuffasRuffas
    Living in Orlando I really miss good boiled peanuts. While there's a lot of good food here, it's not really south enough for there to be good boiled peanuts.
  • AlanAlan
    The best boiled ones I found in the Carolinas and Georgia. At that point I was curious to try them since I had never heard of it before living here in the north. I wish I could get good tasting ones here without making them myself.
  • Double ZDouble Z
    The idea of boiling peanuts sounds crazy to me. So I will definitely try them.
  • Li_AkahiLi_Akahi
    To the east you've got a bunch of college towns like Greensboro, High Point, Raleigh and Durham, which usually means a good supply of geekery.
    And Greenville, which is where I go to school.
  • AnrildAnrild
    People in the south generally take the baby jesus very seriously. If you do not likewise love the baby jesus, it's probably a good idea to avoid the topic.
    I don't know about that, Winston-Salem is full of Moravians (the town was founded by Moravians, that's why there's Old Salem there), and we're pretty chill folks. I know there's a huge stigma around Southerners, but really, most are pretty hospitable and welcoming, from my experience. That may be rose-colored glasses because I AM Southern, but I'm comparatively liberal and don't have much of an accent anymore, and I don't get any flack from the down-home types. As long as you're respectful of other people's opinions, I find most people are respectful of your's.
    To the east you've got a bunch of college towns like Greensboro, High Point, Raleigh and Durham, which usually means a good supply of geekery.
    And Greenville, which is where I go to school.
    Greenville is a bit of a distance from Winston-Salem, but if you ever find yourself here, I go to the same school.
  • JasonJason
  • TheWhaleSharkTheWhaleShark
    While I agree, I find that most people from the north (no idea about foreigners) find the very idea of boiled peanuts disgusting.
    I just made a bunch.

    You Southerners are onto something with this boiled peanut thing. I used smoked sea salt, brown sugar, and red pepper flakes in my brine. Fucking delicious.
  • RuffasRuffas
    I just made a bunch.

    You Southerners are onto something with this boiled peanut thing. I used smoked sea salt, brown sugar, and red pepper flakes in my brine. Fucking delicious.
    That sounds like a mighty fine batch of boiled peanuts.
  • RochelleRochelle
    @Jason

    Yeah that popped into my head too whenever I see this thread. I remember singing this in choir.
  • Zack PatateZack Patate
    edited May 2011
    This will be my first time actually living in a different country
    You picked a well enough country for that, for one, you speak the language. You'll actually be able to understand what names people call you! Which is a huge plus, speaking from experience with the opposite.

    Btw, I cannot fathom that North Carolina is Southern USA. Don't you fucks have a middle part between north and south? Or west and east even.
    Post edited by Zack Patate on
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