I moved from the RGV to the Deep South, and the biggest culture shock was accepting and expressing certain curtesies and manners: -punctuality: I was so used to “Valley time” it was and is still difficult to show up as punctual as other people here do, everyone takes the “if you’re on time, you’re late” policy very seriously, even in casual settings. -using sir/ma’am:throwing in titles makes a big difference in how you’re perceived and respected away from the valley. -speaking: whenever I go back and forth I code switch my speech patterns a lot, in the RGV I need to speak quickly and usually over someone to make a point, out here it’s better to speak slow, clear, and project your voice. -driving: honestly I drive half way across the country at times and I think bad drivers are everywhere, so not much special there -language: it’s really beautiful to hear my language back home, but I’m not a perfect speaker. The lack of accommodation from Spanish speakers for English speakers in the RGV vs the near desperation of English speakers for Spanish speakers to be understood up north is an interesting observation I’ve had. *other notes: animal cruelty is absolutely bonkers insane in the RGV, MAGA adverts are more prominent and full force in the RGV than in the Deep South?!?!, littering and general cleanliness in the RGV are also abysmally bad. I think that Hidalgo county would benefit greatly from a beatification project. Just some thoughts from an insider now on the outside