Do people actually care?

What i do notice a lot of down south, is people will start conversations with you anywhere. I mean up north people say hi or hows it going. But here down south people seem like they actually care. After someone asks you hows it going, and you start telling them, they will actually stand there and listen and continue to talk to you.

Sometimes I feel like I'm in the twilight zone a lot of the times. There have been many

times that I find myself having a conversation with someone whether I'm at the grocery store or just grabbing a cup of coffee somewhere.

I can only remember a couple times up north that I have held a conversation with a complete stranger for more then 5 minutes. So if you ask me....people down south really do care.

Sluggish South??

Is the south slow, or is the north just really fast paced? Is it laziness or are people up north just always in a rush for no reason? I told all my friends up north that people down here are so slow. My mother always tells me she's nervous I am going to become more slow from living down here. She always gets mad at me for my "chill" or "relaxed" personality. It's not that I'm slow, for the most part I am "chill" and "relaxed", but I know when to be. Every job I'v ever had I have always gotten promoted. In one month being at a high-end grocery store, I went from scanning veggies to Floor Manager and Book-keeper. Only if my mom could realize I am different from how I am at work and how I am at school/work. I feel as though this relates to the south. People are not lazy down here, they just have a whole different way of looking at life. Why rush it, and get pissed off at the person who can't get the change out of his pocket quick enough. Everywhere I go with my mom she ends up getting pissed at someone:whether were at CVS getting shampoo or at Starbucks getting coffee. Whenever she says something to someone she gives them such an attitude. I usually nudge her on the side and tell her to stop and she usually does. Then we walk out of the store and I ask her why she got so aggravated and I tell her it wasn't the cashiers fault. Then I go on and ask her "What the hell are we in a rush for?" Were usually just going straight home, therefore there was no need for her to get mad in the first place.

Beach Bums in St Augy

One thing I still don't understand and can't get a grasp on is why there are so many bums everywhere? Any and everywhere you look their is always a dude with gnarly hair and a huge beard, oversized backpack, asking you for some money or standing there on the corner of a red light with a sign reading " Need work". I just dont get it. The bums here aren't your normal bums either. Up north the bums in New York are actually homeless for a reason. I'v talked to many bums up north and the reason their living on the street is because they had a sh*ty past and ended up here and its to late to get a job, they have nothing. I'v had multiple conversations with the bums here and usually they say its a lifestyle. They think its a way of life, be a bum, and mooch of other people. A way of life, are you f*ckin' kidding me. If its a way of life, im not giving you any money. The only time I gave a bum money here was when I saw he had 2 dogs with him. I walked up to the little convenient store, saw a girl and guy( both of which had dreads, now dont take me wrong, I thing dreads are sick, just tryina give some visuals here) and 2 dirty but at the same time cute dogs just posted up chillin. As I was about to open the door, the guy said " Uh, hey mannn, you got any money?" He was definitely stoned outa his mind, but that goes with the "lifestyle" you know, just straight living the dream. So I said "hold up dude" and I walked inside all i could think about was if I gave him money, he was just gona blow it on some weed for him and his grimey lookin girl. So instead of givin him money, i went over and grabbed a decent sized cold water, and a big can of wet doggy food. I grabbed a coffee cup for them to put the water for the lil doggies. The dogs were super happy after I opened the cans of food and gave it to them, I felt bad because they were lookin at me like they wanted a nice pet behind the ears, but I really didnt feel like smellin for the rest of the day.

The bums here in St Augy kinda remind me of that movie "Into the Wild" with Emile Hirsch, he plays a kid who just graduated college and doesnt want to deal with the cultural norm of going back to grad school, getting a set job and family. He cuts all his credit cards, burns is social security number and changes his name. He believes that happiness can be obtained just living in nature, not dealing with the money, not getting jobs, not creating a family, not falling in love etc. He soon dies by himself, and the last thing he said was " happiness is only real when shared".

Where the Hell are we?

As were drivin down 95 further and further, I started taking note to a couple of things: old beat up pick-up trucks, confederate flags, camo hats/jackets, long beards and straw-like hair and people hanging out on the back of pick-up trucks. I started thinking "What the hell am I getting myself into?" Seeing confederate flags was the first thing I really noticed, I honestly couldn't have told you anything about it, I thought it just stood for racism(but i couldn't even tell you that at the time). We stopped at a Waffle house cause we saw signs all over. I noticed many different types of races, I also noticed everyone was overly friendly. It was almost like being in the twilight zone. The only thing I could get out of the waitress was the overused word "y'all". I had not clue people actually talked like that. Every time she said it i couldn't help but laugh. Now that I'v lived in the south for almost 2 years I'm starting to get used to it.

Headed Down 95

It was 1:00 in the morning, my friends mom was trying to kick me out of his house. He was headed for University of South Florida the next morning at 5 AM. I asked him if Flagler College was on the route to his school, he said " Na, but we can make change that." Next thing I knew was thawing my credit card down for a flight back a week later. I went home told my mom I was heading down to florida in the morning to help move my friend in. Couple hours later I was saying bye to my mom the next morning as she sipped her cup of coffee. Her reply was "Jay, where the hell are you going at 5:00 in the morning with a suitcase?", I replied "Heading down south for a bit, be home in a week, love ya."

Driving down 95 with two of my buddies, I didn't really know what to expect. The whole trip was complete random. At the time I was enrolled at University of Rhode Island, but i knew I had to get out of there,one : way to expensive, two: way to cold, and three: the party scene was getting the best of me. I had heard of Flagler College from a Communication Professor at URI, he told me to check it out because he knew I was transferring. At the time, I only thought I was going to transfer home to Montclair State University. I really didn't want to, but thought I had no other choice due to the 4 hour radius my mother had given me for schools. Hearing the word "Florida", I kind of just blocked that school out. It wasn't until I was out at Deal, a surf break in New Jersey checkin the waves and started talking to some kid that was doing the same. He was asking me where I got to school, so i did the same, he said " I go to this small school in Florida, its pretty sick and right by the water: Flagler College." Once I heard this I had to check up on it.

When we got to the school it didn't take long before I was applying to Flagler. I got home winter break and my mom handed me a little envelope with Montclair State University stamped on it. I opened it, it read something saying I am accepted but for the next fall semester. I read it out loud, I remember standing there and watching my mother stomping her one foot on the ground yelling at me about some shit I didn't want to hear. Even if I wanted to hear what she had to say, I couldn't, I felt sick to my stomach, I just stood there blank faced watching her but no sound was coming out. I walked up stairs and sat on my bed. My sister knew how upset/scared I was, I had totally forgotten about Flagler, it didn't even slip into my head. She walked by my room and told me to look under my pillow: It was huge envelope with Flager College stamped on it. I knew right from the package I had been accepted. I looked up at my sister as she stood there smiling at me, we jumped up and down as I screamed "I'm going to Florida!" When I ran down and told my mom, she was even more pist, she didn't even know I had applied. Soon she realized I would love it out there and was a lot more understanding, but still didn't like the idea of me being 18 hours away.