It’s around this time every year that I am part of an inevitable conversation. Usually, it begins when a friend and I have decided to brave the chilly weather and walk somewhere for coffee or food. They remark about how cold it is outside, and I say something like, “Yeah, I’m freezing!”
Nearly every time, the person says, “Wait, you’re from Minnesota. How can you be cold?”
Shockingly, this reminder usually doesn’t suddenly ensure my warmth. I have tried to trace the logic. My only answer is some alternate-universe science where I have developed a Minnesotan blood type that keeps my body warmer at all times. Honestly, that would be pretty sweet.
It’s true that being raised far from a college town can spark curiosity. I think that’s a good thing. We all come from different backgrounds, so it makes sense that people would have a few questions. I’m sure other IU students from around the country encounter similar conversations, so I have put together a list of short tips on how to be an interesting outsider.
I present to you my survival guide to being a non-Indiana resident at IU.
Tip 1: Don’t beat them; join them! I kid you not, every time I say I am from Minnesota, the exact response is usually “you’re from Minna-soooda?” It’s OK, Minnesotans, don’t get up in arms and shout that no one really talks like that. Instead, a simple “Oooh yeah, don’t cha know?” works wonders.
Tip 2: Keep a few main facts in your back pocket that you can always use when people start asking about your home state. Here are some common examples.
Curious Person: “Wow, I’ve heard Minneapolis is a cool city, but I would hate to go to work in the winter.”
Me: “Oh yeah, winter is pretty awful in Minnesota. Luckily Minneapolis has one of the largest skyway systems in the world, don’t cha know?”
Curious Person: “Are there really 10,000 lakes there?”
Me: “Actually, there are more than 13,000.”
Basically, become a walking encyclopedia for your state. It might not be the most stimulating conversation, but you should feel proud to put forth such valuable information.
Tip 3: Learn to be okay with getting the same questions over and over. Sometimes, it’s about lakes or my miracle blood type. Other times, it’s “Oh, my friend Jim Bob is from Minnesota. Do you know him?”
Minnesota is a state, people, not a high school. I probably don’t know good old Jim Bob. Remember, though, that you’ve been on the other side of these conversations. I have a particularly cringey memory of asking my Hawaiian best friend how many people there own and drive cars. The answer is, unsurprisingly, a normal amount of people.
Tip 4: Sometimes it’s fun to throw out some fake facts as well. Does my diet consist solely of hot dishes? Do I ride a polar bear to school? Have a pet moose in my backyard? Do people from California learn to surf before walking? Who knows? Keep a little mystery alive and well.
Hopefully this was helpful to some fellow non-Indiana-raised Hoosiers. This is my last year at IU, and I’m sure I will actually miss these fun little conversations. For now, I can’t wait to go home to the tundra and ice skate down the highway.
