As I mentioned in Sid’s Mother’s Day post, she has now lived in Spokane for a year. Throughout the past 365 days she has definitely learned a thing or two about the culture and quirks of the Lilac City. For tonight’s blog post, let’s review 10 of the more prominent lessons taken in by Sid since May 2020.

After a year in Spokane, Sid has learned a thing or two.

1. Coffee stands are on every corner and no aroma is more prominent on the city streets than that of fresh brew.

2. Except of course for the pungent smell of marijuana that similarly can be smelled on every corner thanks to the surplus of dispensaries.

3. From smell to taste, Sid quickly learned that for what this city lacks in fast food chicken (think Bojangles, Zaxby’s, Popeye’s, etc) it makes up for it in fast food Mexican (Say hello to Taco John’s, Taco Time, and Senor Froggy).

4. Want a drink with that burrito? No matter how often my parents have said the word, a year is way too short of a time for Sid to ever think about referring to soda as “pop.”

5. Whatever you call your soft drink, at least it has a chance to stay cold for longer than a minute when you are outside in July. When Sid asked me why we weren’t sweating in the morning one summer day I remarked simply: Fresh air.

6. The climate isn’t the only thing that is at different ends of the spectrum in South Carolina and Washington. Political ideologies are at two different extremes as well. From the red to the blue for Sid!

7. Speaking of politicians, some might compare them to snakes and roaches. Thankfully Sid was able to escape the creepy crawlers (talking about the actual creatures) and now just has to worry about black widows and June bugs.

8. One thing Sidney doesn’t have to worry about is her accent. It is adored and celebrated by the locals who enjoy a Southern dialect in a town that is dominated by accent-neutral speaking folks.

9. Although her accent is celebrated some of her South Carolina idioms aren’t—or should I say they are just misunderstood? People here don’t understand what constitutes “being ugly” beyond bad looks and if you say “going to cut the grass” people will think you are getting your personal scissors out to do some precise trimming.

10. Sid is thankful she didn’t push harder for a riding lawn mower because gas prices to fill it are much more expensive in Washington (roughly $3.20 per gallon right now) than the cheaper prices in South Carolina. It’s okay though, moving to a state with no state income tax was a welcome treat!

Two great places, two vastly different ways of doing things. We love them both. Don’t Blink.