Differences

As I’ve been getting more used to the area here in Texarkana, I’ve noticed a couple of things that are significant differences for me. I’ve lived in the southern California region, specifically Huntington Beach, for 44 years. I got very used to certain things and how they worked. When you move, many things change… most of them good but occasionally some of them take some getting used to… for instance.

· Traffic – for the most part it is very light around here even during early morning and after working hours. The local streets don’t have much traffic at any time… at least that I’ve encountered. The interstate, I 30, is usually pretty heavily traveled no matter what time you’re on it. Kind of reminds me of the 405, except I 30 is a 2-lane divided highway under construction – and that makes it a pain in the butt. You also have these big 18-wheelers whizzing by all the time in this narrow 2 lanes and that takes a bit of getting used to.

· Newspapers – even tho I’m an avid Internet person, I still like my local newspaper. I loved the Orange County Register (ultra conservative tho it may be). There was lots of local, LA and national news. Lots of comics; too much advertisements; and good general news. Since I’ve lived mostly in “The OC” I never much bothered with the LA Times even tho it has an OC section. Down here in AR, you have a local paper, the Arkansas Gazette, which has local AR and TX news. It’s a pretty good paper. This past Sunday we got the Little Rock Gazette (that’s not the real name of the paper but I put it out in the trash so I can’t get it to get the correct name). It too has sufficient coverage. I guess it’s just a matter of getting used to something different. Perhaps the biggest difference is the local paper only has maybe 10 pages, a bit more perhaps but vastly different from the Register’s 30+ pages.

· TV stations – we get all the local stations with DirectTV, ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, - BUT they all come out of Shreveport, LA. I think there is a local station here in town somewhere but I don’t know if it’s a true local station or one of the affiliates of the big networks. There is an area called “ArkLATex” which encompases this part of Arkansas and adjacent Texas as well as the northern Louisiana area. So you don’t get a whole lot of local Texarkana news but mostly stuff from Shreveport, LA. They do cover the Texarkana area (both AR and TX parts) but mostly key in on Shreveport.

· People – ah, here is the crux of the differences. People here are very, very friendly and actually look you in the eye. There is a demeanor of friendliness, politeness and just plain charm that is only located in the southern part of the US. I’ve lived on the east coast, west coast, Chicago area and Washington state area and believe me, there is a significant difference here in the south. The people you encounter in stores, public buildings and just everywhere are so polite and helpful. There isn’t the conservativeness of the OC nor the hustle and bustle of the LA (as in Los Angeles) areas. It’s kind of a hard thing to explain, but you will recognize it when you are in the south.

· Prices – living prices as in buying a home, renting a home or apartment, are sooooooo much less expensive than in OC. I can actually be living on a retirement income here and “live” not just “exist” as I had been doing in So Cal. I can rent a lovely apartment in a senior complex for less than half of what I was and still am paying for mobile home mortgage and space rent. I’m in the process of selling my mobile home in a senior complex so anyone who knows of someone looking for a nice 2 bedroom / 2 bath home 4 miles from the beach and close to freeways and everything else, let me know.

· Libraries and Post Office – boy was I spoiled when it came to venturing to public entities. The Fountain Valley library was close and easy to use. I would get my 4-6 books on a Tuesday or Wednesday and return them to the drop box on Sunday when there was no traffic. Likewise I would check out my PO box on Sundays and mail packages and letters when there was no traffic at the PO and generally very few people. Here the Post Office is a historic building in that it sits on the state line so part of it is in Texas and the other part in Arkansas. Kind of cool in a way but a pain to get to, park and go in the building. There is no automated packages area so you have to go to the counter on the regular post office hours. OK, so I have the time but it is an inconvenience. I got a library card and used their secure computers (we didn’t have secure Internet for several days) and that worked out OK. Here you can take out something like 20 books and keep them for up to 3 weeks. There is an automatic drop off box. And you can go on line, order the book you want to read and then go to the drive-up window and they will give you the book. That will work out OK once I get to that point where I have a few hours to read. (still have boxes to unpack).

There are still a lot of things I need to get used to and I’m sure I will. It will take time and I’ll probably feel a bit more adventuresome when I get my own apartment and my own things. It’s kind of hard living in one room and not having all my bells and whistles that I like. Don’t get me wrong, it’s fun being at my son’s home with my daughter-in-law and granddaughter, but I want my own space. Hopefully that will come soon when I sell my mobile in lovely sunny southern California.