Many people have asked me: what brings someone from Texas up to Ohio for college? In response, I tell them I have been coming up to Ohio, specifically Cleveland, my whole life. I tell them about visiting my family and exploring the places my parents grew up in and the frigid winters and warm summer nights here.
In the past, I had never noticed much of a difference from home, but after being in Ohio for over a month, I have picked up on some things that might not have “shocked” me before, but have struck me as different from what I’m used to.
OSU and OU Have Different Meanings
Don’t get me wrong—I was raised an Ohio State fan. However, coming from a state where a lot of people go to college in Oklahoma, OSU has always stood for Oklahoma State University and OU was the University of Oklahoma. I have to do a double take when people mention “the OSU game” or “visiting OU for the weekend” because I immediately wonder why they are talking about Oklahoma.
The Cleveland Accent
I had always thought my cousins talked funny sometimes, especially when pronouncing their “a’s,” but then again, they always thought I sounded funny saying “y’all.” I had never noticed it too much when I visited in the past, but now it seems like half of the people I have met pronounce some things weird, especially the letter “a.” I heard someone say it’s called the “Cleveland accent.” It’s not a weird thing to hear necessarily, but some words definitely sound different from what I am used to.
Soda vs Pop vs Coke
Every carbonated drink back home is called Coke and if someone didn’t call it Coke, they called it soda. Saying pop is strictly a northern thing; no one back home would ever call anything carbonated “pop.” Hearing things such as Dr Pepper or Sprite referred to as “pop” is still something I am not used to hearing, and I refuse to call anything “pop.” I can excuse the Cleveland accent, but I cannot excuse calling Coke “pop.”
European Culture
This was something I had not noticed until I moved in and I saw Irish and German societies. There is a lot of European diversity here that does not exist in Texas. Or, if there is something like that in Texas, I had never noticed it before. People here are proud of their European heritage, which was something people back home never really focused on. There were no “clubs” or organizations for Croatians or Ukranians or any other parts of Europe. I had never thought of such things existing until now, but then again, I had never seen this before. They seem to be everywhere, and people seem to be pretty involved in keeping their heritage alive, which I find incredibly interesting. It’s inspiring to see people staying connected to their traditions.
The Highways are Slow
A highway in Texas means a minimum speed limit of roughly 70-75 mph and multiple lanes. The highways in Ohio are slow; the country roads back home are the same speed limit as the highways here. Seeing a speed limit sign on a three lane highway saying to go 60 or 65 miles is a constant reminder to me that I am not, in fact, in Texas. I have wondered if this was because of the winter weather we don’t get back home, or if everything really is bigger (and faster) in Texas.
Houses
I love the look of the houses in and around Cleveland; back home, everything is brick or some sort of modern farmhouse style. There are some truly unique looking houses here that I have never seen before. Even the paneling that seems to be on so many of the homes here is not something that I would see everyday.
My first month in college has been an adjustment, and not just academically. I traded Tex-Mex and hot weather for “pop” and chilly nights, but I have not had much of a reason to complain. Getting to explore Cleveland on my own terms with new people has helped me fall in love with the city even more, and I am looking forward to my four years in this unique city.