Getting Personal: 5 Years in North Carolina

Five years ago, I arrived in Raleigh, North Carolina, after a long cross-country road trip with my cats, Charlie and Clancy. It was time to shake up my little snow globe world again, and what better way than by moving to the opposite coast?

It hasn't always been easy, and the COVID-19 pandemic threw a massive spanner in the works, stopping me from attending many social and networking activities. It cranked up my germophobia, and I went into a free fall back into my extra-introverted personality.

But I've also lived a childhood dream of mine to be a soccer writer and photographer. My volunteer work photographing adoptable kitties is rewarding and has provided insight into the direction that I want my photography business to go.

It's hard to believe that five years have passed already. Even in the most difficult moments, I have never regretted my decision to move here. Do I miss the San Francisco Bay Area? In a way, yes. In many other ways, absolutely not.

As I adjust to living with the realities of COVID-19 and its mutations, I hope to get back to exploring the state and the whole east coast over the next five years.

Here are five observations on my first five years in North Carolina:

1. Discovering how much North Carolina reminds me of my home state, Oregon, both geographically and politically. Granted, there is no high desert in NC, but there are the Sand Hills. And rather than one blue vein running through the state, there are blue and purple areas throughout North Carolina.

2. In an odd way, my introversion is a good fit here. It seems like people in North Carolina are generally pretty friendly but somewhat guarded.

3. Hurricanes. And earthquakes. We've had a few hurricanes either make a direct hit (Florence) or come through as weaker tropical storms. And, while we aren't on the Ring of Fire, we do get the occasional shaker in North Carolina. Truly a WTF moment for me and the cats.

4. The heat and humidity. Unless I choose to hand over my paycheck to Duke Energy, I generally sleep on top of the bed covers between June and October. It's just too hot to sleep even under a sheet.

5. As a vegetarian, I have formed no opinion on North Carolina BBQ. I have yet to experience Cook Out or Cracker Barrel. I have had the pleasure of smothered, diced, capped, and covered Waffle House hashbrowns.