Sidetrack - Culture Shock and Why Nichole Hates California

[00:00:00] We are Teresa and Nemo and that's why we switched to Shopify.

[00:00:03] The platform, which we used before Shopify, has used regularly updates, which have led to that the shop didn't work.

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[00:00:29] Hey everybody, Mark here. This conversation is an excerpt of our longer discussion about Miley Cyrus' tune, Party in the USA.

[00:00:37] Here, we talk for a bit about Culture Shock and Nicole talks about why she really doesn't like California or is it Californians?

[00:00:45] You might be wondering why I don't more vehemently defend my homeland in this conversation.

[00:00:51] And to that I'd say two things. One, this was not scripted. I was caught off guard.

[00:00:56] It was a moment of weakness. I apologize.

[00:01:00] But secondly, you don't need the approval of some podcaster from New England.

[00:01:05] After all, you've got In-N-Out Burger.

[00:01:06] Have you ever had this experience where you moved to a new location and had Culture Shock like that?

[00:01:24] Absolutely. I absolutely have. So like many young white women, I did a study abroad semester in my undergrad and it changed my life as it does for many folks.

[00:01:36] Just kidding. It didn't really that much, but it was fun.

[00:01:39] And I went to Ireland for a semester and it was awesome.

[00:01:43] And then I like I like hitchhiked all around Ireland by myself, which was very not safe, but very, very fun.

[00:01:51] And when I came back to America, I had a huge like anxiety culture shock moment for sure.

[00:01:59] Going back home.

[00:02:00] Coming back home.

[00:02:01] To New England?

[00:02:01] To New England. Because when I was gone, I mean, this was I went January of 2002.

[00:02:07] And if you're familiar, podcast listeners with what was happening social culturally in that moment, that was right after 9-11.

[00:02:15] And the war in Iraq started when I was in Ireland.

[00:02:19] And I was being exposed to BBC news and like European news for the first time in my life and not listening to the American news cycle.

[00:02:28] And when I came home, everyone had American flags out.

[00:02:31] And it was so weird because that wasn't the vibe when I left.

[00:02:35] Like everything was very pro patriotism.

[00:02:38] This was like the time of freedom fries and things like that, like very pro American.

[00:02:43] And then I remember going to Target for the first time.

[00:02:45] And the stores in Ireland, like there's there's no like big at that time.

[00:02:49] There wasn't like a target like it was it wasn't really Americanized and very not commercial.

[00:02:54] Only everything was very small.

[00:02:56] And coming here into like this giant big box store with really harsh lighting and like rose.

[00:03:01] And rows of product and like aisles of checkouts.

[00:03:05] And it was just it felt very dystopian.

[00:03:08] It was really jarring to me.

[00:03:10] Wow.

[00:03:10] That culture shock just because I wasn't used to it.

[00:03:13] So quite a time to be absent.

[00:03:16] Yeah.

[00:03:17] And I would go to like anti-war protests in Ireland and learn very quickly never to open my mouth, because as soon as they knew I was American, like people were mean to me.

[00:03:26] Oh, wow.

[00:03:27] And it was the first time I had this idea of this.

[00:03:29] You know, I kind of took this cultural relativism piece when I realized like America isn't the default country.

[00:03:36] Right.

[00:03:36] It was really a broadening experience for me in that moment.

[00:03:42] So that's not like a lighthearted answer.

[00:03:43] But, you know, it's not.

[00:03:44] I should have gone first.

[00:03:45] No, I go deep.

[00:03:46] Wild.

[00:03:47] Yeah.

[00:03:47] I mean, that's I don't know what to say about a lot of that.

[00:03:50] I mean, I can't I haven't experienced that.

[00:03:51] I mean, like I said, quite a time to be absent and then come back.

[00:03:55] Yeah.

[00:03:55] I don't have anything like that for me.

[00:03:58] It was moving here.

[00:03:59] It was moving from SoCal to here.

[00:04:01] And I can relate to the to the Miley experience with her shoes not not being suitable because folks, the vans or whatever I was wearing, not suitable for shoveling snow in the Boston area in the middle of the winter.

[00:04:16] So not nothing crazy culturally, though, I have to say, like, I look, I don't live in South Boston.

[00:04:22] Right. I don't I'm not immersed in stereotypical Matt Damon movie kind of Boston.

[00:04:28] Sure.

[00:04:29] So it's culturally it's been pretty similar, except some hilarious accents.

[00:04:34] Like in my first week teaching at the school I teach at in Boston, there was a student who's a gen ed like rock and roll history class or something.

[00:04:43] And I was asking all the students what majors they were in this one one young man fire science.

[00:04:50] And I had to ask this guy.

[00:04:53] I'm so felt so terrible.

[00:04:54] I had to ask him like three times.

[00:04:56] Oh, fire science.

[00:04:57] And I finally said it.

[00:04:58] Oh, fire science.

[00:05:00] Like either I was talking to him like he was dumb or that I was really dumb because I could not understand this guy's accent for the life.

[00:05:07] So that moment, my first week of teaching in Boston was I can't talk to half the people here.

[00:05:13] I might as well be in a different country.

[00:05:15] But other than that, you know, the Boston accent is really hard to sound intelligent.

[00:05:19] Oh, I don't even know.

[00:05:21] But it's like.

[00:05:22] I don't know.

[00:05:23] It's like it's almost like a different language.

[00:05:26] Do I think people sound unintelligent when they're speaking German?

[00:05:29] No, it's just I don't I don't know what they're talking about.

[00:05:31] Do you think I have a Boston accent?

[00:05:32] You don't have a Boston accent.

[00:05:34] I mask it.

[00:05:35] You sound.

[00:05:36] Are you code switching around me to try to sound like you're from SoCal?

[00:05:39] Yeah, man.

[00:05:40] Yeah.

[00:05:40] Wait, what?

[00:05:41] I don't know.

[00:05:42] No.

[00:05:50] We're Teresa and Nemo.

[00:05:52] And that's why we switched to Shopify.

[00:05:54] The platform, which we used before Shopify, has used regularly updates,

[00:05:58] which have caused some of the time to make the shop not work.

[00:06:01] Our Nemo Boards shop makes, by the way, also, a good figure on the mobile devices.

[00:06:05] And the illustrations on the boards come now much clearer,

[00:06:08] what is important to us and what our brand also makes us out.

[00:06:12] Start your test today for one euro per month on Shopify.de.

[00:06:17] I don't like California.

[00:06:31] I'll say it.

[00:06:32] You don't like, okay.

[00:06:33] I don't like people from California.

[00:06:35] Yeah.

[00:06:35] Sorry.

[00:06:35] Well, that I figured out.

[00:06:37] It's just because you're nice but not kind.

[00:06:40] Really?

[00:06:41] And in Boston we're kind but not nice.

[00:06:43] That's interesting.

[00:06:44] Did I ever tell you this theory?

[00:06:45] No.

[00:06:46] Let me expand on it.

[00:06:47] If we have a minute.

[00:06:48] And we do.

[00:06:49] We have so much time.

[00:06:50] Maybe this is bonus episode.

[00:06:52] Okay.

[00:06:52] So let me see that I'm hearing you right.

[00:06:55] So people in California are nice, not kind.

[00:07:00] And people in Boston are kind, not nice.

[00:07:02] Yes.

[00:07:03] So does that mean people act nice but aren't nice in California?

[00:07:10] And people act rough but are actually generous and stuff in Boston?

[00:07:14] Yeah.

[00:07:14] Like I think people in California act nice but won't help you out if you're in a bind.

[00:07:19] Like if in California, as an example, if I'm a new mom and I'm carrying, trying to like

[00:07:26] get my baby stroller like down a set of stairs or something, people in California might come

[00:07:31] up to you and be like, oh my gosh, looks like you're having a lot of trouble with that

[00:07:35] baby, man.

[00:07:36] Like too bad.

[00:07:37] Like you said.

[00:07:38] Can I tweet about it?

[00:07:39] Can I tweet about it?

[00:07:40] Can I take a picture?

[00:07:41] And then you keep walking.

[00:07:43] And people in Boston will see you struggling, help you carry the stroller down the stairs

[00:07:49] and then say like, get your fucking shit together.

[00:07:52] Take the elevator next time.

[00:07:54] Right.

[00:07:54] They'll help you out but bitch at you about it.

[00:07:57] So they're kind but not nice about it.

[00:07:59] And people from California are nice but they're not kind.

[00:08:02] Interesting.

[00:08:02] Yeah.

[00:08:02] It tracks.

[00:08:03] I don't know.

[00:08:04] I mean, I'll compare with driving, right?

[00:08:07] So the whole mass hole thing.

[00:08:09] Sure.

[00:08:10] The Massachusetts drivers have a really awful reputation but I haven't actually experienced

[00:08:18] that much.

[00:08:19] I've just experienced that the roads are absolutely ridiculously badly designed here.

[00:08:23] Yes.

[00:08:23] So, and don't tell me all the cities 300 years old.

[00:08:26] Well, it is.

[00:08:27] Los Angeles existed before the automobile also, right?

[00:08:31] So there's been plenty of time like that traffic light that takes seven minutes before

[00:08:37] it'll even turn green was not designed 300 years ago.

[00:08:40] So I feel like that the differences in jerkiness between the cities has been very overrated in

[00:08:46] my so I will say also Boston is a city of 500,000 people and a few million in the metro

[00:08:52] area.

[00:08:52] When you say California, you're talking about millions upon millions of people spread over

[00:08:57] hundreds of miles.

[00:08:58] So what are you even talking about?

[00:08:59] And like so many cultural differences too.

[00:09:00] What are you even talking about?

[00:09:01] LA?

[00:09:01] I'm talking about like Northern California.

[00:09:03] San Francisco.

[00:09:04] Yeah, San Francisco.

[00:09:05] Okay.

[00:09:05] Like Monterey, like up there.

[00:09:08] Okay.

[00:09:09] I traveled up there and I hated it because everyone's so slow and like wants to chit chat

[00:09:14] and I don't want to chit chat.

[00:09:16] I just want to like get my groceries and get out of the store.

[00:09:18] I don't want to like small talk all the time and Boston like no one's we're not pretending

[00:09:23] unless it's about snow or about the paths.

[00:09:25] It's too superficial for me.

[00:09:28] If you want to talk about existential psychology like yeah, like that's right into it.

[00:09:31] And that's what they want to talk about in Portland, Oregon, maybe.

[00:09:34] I guess.

[00:09:35] Yeah.

[00:09:35] Portland, Maine.

[00:09:36] Portland, Maine.

[00:09:36] Two Portlands.

[00:09:37] Two Portlands.

[00:09:38] I don't know.

[00:09:39] I feel like I should be defending my tribe here a little bit.

[00:09:42] Okay.

[00:09:42] But it's it's kind of I see what you're what you're saying, but also I'll say this.

[00:09:49] I lived here with kids.

[00:09:51] Sure.

[00:09:51] I didn't live in LA with kids.

[00:09:53] I lived in LA as a grad student, you know, musician playing in clubs or I lived in San

[00:09:59] Diego as a kid.

[00:10:00] Right.

[00:10:00] I lived in the Bay Area as a college student.

[00:10:02] I live here with two small kids.

[00:10:04] People help you out when you have two small kids.

[00:10:07] Yeah.

[00:10:07] If you're saying like they might mouth off or whatever, but people when they see, you know,

[00:10:13] a woman with a baby stroller having trouble on the subway stairs, people will help.

[00:10:18] That's probably true.

[00:10:19] Were there subways in LA also except I was there as some 20 something that nobody would

[00:10:25] have helped.

[00:10:26] Right.

[00:10:26] And I wouldn't have helped them.

[00:10:27] Right.

[00:10:27] Because I was in that space as opposed to in the communal sort of, oh, it's tough out

[00:10:32] there space that you get when you're a parent with small kids.

[00:10:34] And I kind of love that culture of parenting that like when you see people that are pregnant,

[00:10:40] you'll be all kind of lighted them.

[00:10:42] People that are about to have their first kid be like, oh, it's going to be great.

[00:10:45] It's going to be so magical.

[00:10:47] Like your life's about to change.

[00:10:49] It's about to get so much better.

[00:10:50] And we're just kind of like conning them like join us.

[00:10:53] And then their baby comes and we're like, jokes on you.

[00:10:57] Is this like, is it a misery loved company or is there some like specific desire to increase

[00:11:02] the birth rate in this country?

[00:11:03] You're like, we need more, more humans.

[00:11:05] Please have more.

[00:11:05] It's like a one of us type of thing.

[00:11:07] Like, come, come what you're one of us now.

[00:11:10] And it is this weird, like different culture, this parenting culture.

[00:11:14] We've gone quite far afield.

[00:11:16] We really went off book here.

[00:11:18] I'll book here.

[00:11:19] Well, you'll edit it together to make it magical.

[00:11:29] Nevermind the Music is hosted by Nicole Vatcher and me, Mark Poppenny.

[00:11:33] I also produce.

[00:11:34] Please be sure to subscribe and leave us a rating and a review.

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[00:11:39] We're Never Music Pod on all major platforms.

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[00:11:52] Thanks for listening.

[00:11:56] We're Teresa and Nemo.

[00:11:58] And that's why we've switched to Shopify.

[00:11:59] We've been using Shopify.

[00:12:00] The platform, the we've used before Shopify, has used updates,

[00:12:04] which have sometimes been to the point of view,

[00:12:06] that the shop didn't work.

[00:12:07] Endly makes our Nemo Boards Shop

[00:12:09] also on the mobile devices a good figure.

[00:12:11] And the illustrations on the boards come now very, very clear,

[00:12:14] what's important to us and what our brand is also made out.

[00:12:18] Start your test now for 1€ pro Monat on shopify.de.

[00:12:23] Slash Radio.