*hugs* That is a major decision, I wish you peace in your decision making.
I do not have insights about the actual area. But I did spend more than half of my life in the south.
Climate is wonderful in the south. Everyone talks about oh how humid and hot and muggy it is. Yeah. So's New England in the summer...where buildings aren't built with hot weather in mind and practically no one has air-conditioning. I find it much more miserable in Boston in July than I ever did in Mississippi in July. I miss the winters in the south so very badly. So mild...so short...and when there's a "major winter storm" and there's 10 inches of snow, people actually take snow days!
When I moved from the south to Michigan, there were some cultural differences but mostly I thought "Hmmm...not much different from the south..."
When I moved to Boston, it felt like I had moved to another country. I mean, really, sometimes I couldn't even understand the language. Everything, from big details to little ones, were so very different. People were different, schedules were different, shopping was different...it's just so different.
I can only imagine how hard the culture shock in reverse could be. There is not as much culture, not as much stuff going on, though larger cities do try. There is a lot more overt racism. Even larger cities are massively conservative, though university areas tend to have a higher concentration of people who actually use their brains.
The cost of living will seem almost obscenely low, even in an area like the research triangle, which is considered a very expensive area to live in the south. There is the potential to save up a ton of money while living comfortably in the south.
It is possible now, with the intratubes, to stay connected with people far away. It's not the same as being near people, not at all. But it does help tremendously with being far away from people you love.
I hope that your visit goes well, and again, that you and wren can find peace while trying to make this decision.
I do not have insights about the actual area. But I did spend more than half of my life in the south.
Climate is wonderful in the south. Everyone talks about oh how humid and hot and muggy it is. Yeah. So's New England in the summer...where buildings aren't built with hot weather in mind and practically no one has air-conditioning. I find it much more miserable in Boston in July than I ever did in Mississippi in July. I miss the winters in the south so very badly. So mild...so short...and when there's a "major winter storm" and there's 10 inches of snow, people actually take snow days!
When I moved from the south to Michigan, there were some cultural differences but mostly I thought "Hmmm...not much different from the south..."
When I moved to Boston, it felt like I had moved to another country. I mean, really, sometimes I couldn't even understand the language. Everything, from big details to little ones, were so very different. People were different, schedules were different, shopping was different...it's just so different.
I can only imagine how hard the culture shock in reverse could be. There is not as much culture, not as much stuff going on, though larger cities do try. There is a lot more overt racism. Even larger cities are massively conservative, though university areas tend to have a higher concentration of people who actually use their brains.
The cost of living will seem almost obscenely low, even in an area like the research triangle, which is considered a very expensive area to live in the south. There is the potential to save up a ton of money while living comfortably in the south.
It is possible now, with the intratubes, to stay connected with people far away. It's not the same as being near people, not at all. But it does help tremendously with being far away from people you love.
I hope that your visit goes well, and again, that you and wren can find peace while trying to make this decision.
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