North Carolina--Southern Hospitality

My mom shared with me an impressionable experience she had while visiting my sister, who was living in the South/Midwest at the time:

While at the checkout in WalMart, my mom went through her usual ritual of loading up the bargain merchandise. Then, the cashier asked her something friendly like, “So what brings you to town?” My mom told the woman that she was helping out her daughter, who had been on bed rest for over two months because of pregnancy complications. The woman began to cry. The wet-cheeked cashier kept chatting with my mom for over 15 minutes at the checkout station, crying, laughing, and empathizing with my mom. Now that is a statement.

Though I did not manage to induce tears from a stranger during my visit to North Carolina, I did experience the same genuine care and quality among the people there. From a classmate’s suggestion, my friend and I braved the famous Clyde’s BBQ in Raleigh. I don’t think I’ve ever met kinder people than the employees of that establishment. The food was good but very salty. Whatever lacked in the grub was more than made up by the quality of the people working there. “Yes sir!” with a smile goes a long way I’ve decided. The cashier treated us like superstars when we told her we were coming to a ballroom dance competition. She kept smiling and telling everyone in the diner about it. Not something I’ve ever seen in New England or even out west.

We went to the Museum of Natural History in Raleigh and saw an incredible butterfly exhibit. I know it sounds lame but it was actually quite interesting. You go into a greenhouse and quickly become enveloped in a small indoor paradise complete with gorgeous tropical flowers and these giant, vibrantly-colored butterflies floating and fluttering all around you. We also visited the University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill, and enjoyed the beautiful campus. The last event of the day was the very elegant North Carolina Museum of Art. I especially enjoyed seeing the famous Rembrandt Peale portrait of George Washington (see below).

Then, when it was time to call it a night I drove to the apartment of a student I had been pared-up with for housing. Tim, just like the people at the diner, treated me like a long lost brother. He instantly offered me everything he could to help make my time there more enjoyable. His roommate, Thomas (who is also a local), offered me his room for the night after speaking to me for about 10 seconds. Who are these people? I was very impressed.

Ironically, the very purpose of going to the Raleigh seemed to be the least impressionable. The dance competition was fantastic though! It was held in the incredible Dorton Arena (above), a very unique structure resembling a giant tent. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. I had a blast at the competition and met some great people there.