In 2007 I moved to Huntsville, Alabama.

Along with my amazing wife we moved our furniture that covered a not quite
500 square foot duplex unit in Ventura, California.

That's Southern California.

Thinking maybe being in the south part of one of the largest states and
economies in the world I thought I might be prepared for "The South." Well
that was a bit of an assumption on my part.

I will tell you I am known for my assumptions. My wife points them out to
me, "Just because person X does that sometimes does not mean he or she does
that ALL the time!"

The South is known for it's hospitality. One of the first things I noticed
was when I drove on two lane country roads, EVERYBODY WAVED TO ME! Some
people did the "one finger wave." In California, that means you just got
flipped off. In the South it's your pointing finger raising ever so
slightly off your steering wheel, and it's quite friendly.

I still am amazed by that. Now that I live in Alameda County in California
I don't see it as much. Yes, I do get a friendly wave now and then though
it's entirely when driving in the suburban parts, never the cities.

Oh, and the HUMIDITY! Yes, that was very different than from where I was
from. The "h's," hospitality and humidity. Those were the biggest
changes. With humidity comes unpredictable, sometimes violent weather. We
saw our share of that.

It was a chore to become adapted to the South, much more than I thought it
would.

What was even crazier was the drive there.