Where you come from is the foundation of who you are as a person; the people and surroundings blend to mold your character. From the southern charm, to the sweeping diversity offered by a college town, Stillwater, Oklahoma has allowed me to develop to whom I am meant to be. Here in State College, I have the unique opportunity to foster two occasionally contrasting cultures and further mold myself as I grow and learn in a new setting.
I plan to use my RCL blog to invite others to join me as I reflect on my eighteen years in Oklahoma. It seems that everyone I meet is from "just outside of Philly," or a similar location. I can promise that their preconceived idea of what Oklahoma is like is not reflected in most of my experiences, although I have to admit that I have encountered my share of stereotypical Oklahomans, including a kid who drove his giant tractor to school. In the short time that I have been here I have already been overwhelmed with the cultural variances and I am thrilled to delve into them and share what I have observed from an interesting point of view while I attempt to make Happy Valley my home.
Throughout the time that I am constructing my blog I plan to address numerous topics, primarily based off of the conversations that I have had since arriving in State College. I have noticed dramatic cultural differences, which I plan to discuss. Also, the simple, and occasionally surprising questions that people ask me, beginning with the most basic question: "where is Oklahoma?" which I believed I am asked far too frequently. Obviously, if people are unfamiliar with Oklahoma's location, then they certainly do not know what it has to offer. Being born and raised in Oklahoma has given me the opportunity to discover the eclectic hidden gems around the state. We do not have any big name tourist attractions to bring in floods of people, but through exploration I am familiar with many unique attractions back home, which I cannot wait to write about.
The difference that 1223.85 miles can make is incredible, read my Passion Blog to find out how.
This post has done a great job of making me intrigued about the subject, a factor which I think will translate well into the actual passion blog. Your pictures are also a neat detail, did you take them yourself? Or do you have pictures you've taken from Oklahoma that you can use in the blog? The other questions I have are things that will probably be answered in the blog itself (what brought you to Penn State in the first place?), so I'll leave this off here.
ReplyDeleteI completely understand your struggle when it comes to feeling like an outside for not coming from "outside of Philly". You could include in your blog as well how assimilating ti a different community has affected you and the importance of understand others that come from different places. I believe you can convey an important message through comical interpretations of your experience from home.
ReplyDeleteI really love your idea. It definitely is a difference in culture the further south and west you travel. I have only been as far west and south as Tennessee and Florida, so I really would like to get to know Oklahoma. I am very intrigued by your "guts" to come this far away from home to college. In my college choice, I was between Texas A&M and Penn State; I know it would have been a different experience if I chose A&M. I am excited to learn more about Oklahoma and how your experience works out at Penn State.
ReplyDeleteMadison, you seem happily settled on your topic, and I appreciate your zeal to explain the both the beauties and quirks of your home state. (Tractor boy, I'm looking at you.)
ReplyDeleteLuke asked a question in his comment above that I share: what brought an Oklahoman girl to central PA? That might be a great foundation on which to build with your passion blog.
Looking forward to hearing more!