Simon: No place like home, even if it’s Kansas

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By Nora Simon

Thursday, January 29, 2009

As corny as it sounds, it’s like that old cliché: The grass is always greener on the other side of the hill. And it took traveling 1,800 miles from home to finally realize how much I truly love and am proud of the state I live in. Let’s face it: I love Kansas.

I grew up in Manhattan, which may not seem like the pinnacle of Kansas life to us who live in Lawrence. To be quite honest, by the time I finished with high school, I had thoroughly had it with Manhattan and Kansas. I decided to completely get out of my element and go on an adventure during my freshman year of college, moving to Eugene, Ore., to attend the University of Oregon.

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For the first time, I had to distinguish between being from Manhattan, Kan., and Manhattan, N.Y.

Everything was different in Oregon. The weather was milder, but it rained all the time. I could see mountains, fir trees and ducks as I walked across campus. After growing up in the Midwest, the coast was a complete culture shock.

For the first time, I had to distinguish between being from Manhattan, Kan., and Manhattan, N.Y.

None of my friends had ever met anyone from Kansas, and a lot of stereotypes about us are floating around. Evolution, corn, Republicans, religion, conservatism, cowboys, cornfields and flatness were just some of the things they found funny about Kansas. Although at first these jokes were amusing, after a while, I started to defend my home state, trying to tell everyone what was so great about living there.

I even told my friends about our highest point, Mt. Sunflower, which stands at a trifling 4,039 feet and resembles more of a hill than a mountain. Coincidentally, Mt. Sunflower is only about 100 miles from Colorado’s lowest point, which my Denverite roommate wouldn’t let me forget.

It may have been a shock to them that I returned to Kansas this year, but it suits me. I’m glad to be back in my home state, and I’ve realized that there’s a lot to be proud of: the history, the people, the cities, the nature, and in short, everything. Even our mascot, the Jayhawk, reminds us of Kansas’ struggles and history.

It’s never until you live somewhere different from what you’re used to that you begin to realize all the things you’ve been missing. And I realized that Kansas means a lot to me because of all the great times I’ve had here.

So here’s to you, Kansas. Happy 148th birthday, from one of your most loyal fans.

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