Adjusting to Life in New England

Posted March 7, 2018 by Sarah Callanan

I have lived in nearly every part of the country except for the New England area, and it has been a bit of a transition.  Every place I’ve moved to has its own culture and has been a different experience, and I’ve loved them all in their own way.  Here are some experiences I’ve had that are unique to this region:

• The Driving:  I have never been more terrified on the road.  Double yellow lines apparently mean nothing here, and everyone is so aggressive on the road. 
• Public Transportation: Even though I have lived in cities, I’ve never lived in a city that has had a super comprehensive public transportation plan like the Boston area does.  Just today I rode the Commuter Rail, the T, and a bus.  Learning to navigate the MBTA has been an interesting learning experience though.  I’m so happy that we have the MBTA and that I can easily get in to, around, and out of Boston. 
• The Accent: Why is Worcester pronounced Wooster? And Quincy pronounced Quinzy?  I just can’t drop the “r’s” in words no matter how hard I try. 
• The Food: Seafood is a thing here and it is wonderful.  The fresh fish here is amazing.  I’ve been working my way through the local seafood here from lobster rolls to fish and chips.  I haven’t had the nerve to try clam chowder yet.  I know, it’s one of the iconic Massachusetts things but I’ve tried some of the other classic Massachusetts dishes like Boston Cream Pie!  Someday I’ll try clam chowder.   Also, there are some things on menus that are unique to this neck of the woods like GrapeNut Pudding that I have never heard of. 
• Dunkin’ Donuts: There are so many of them.  So many of them.  Dunkin’ Donuts was founded in Massachusetts and the iced coffee is insanely popular here, but I have never seen so many Dunkin’ Donuts stores in my life and no matter what time of day it is, they are always packed.
• Seasons and The Weather:  One of the reasons I was excited to move to Massachusetts was because I have never really experienced seasons before and I’ve been assured that Massachusetts has all four seasons.  I moved away from Michigan when I was almost five, so I barely remember the seasons there, and when I lived in Colorado, seasons really did not exist.  I remember that it could snow in July and it could be 70 degrees in December.  Also, our biggest month for blizzards was April.  In North Carolina we experienced two seasons: summer and winter, with the winter being mild and the summer being extremely hot and humid.  While this winter seems like it has been dragging on forever I have been really enjoying the snow.  I know that feeling won’t last forever and someday I’ll get sick of it, but every time I wake up to snow falling, it still feels exciting. 

I’ve really been enjoying my time in Massachusetts and I look forward to exploring the New England area more throughout my time here.