Kansas City Here I Come

It is that time of year again... the turkeys are being carefully chosen, stuffing is being prepared and pumpkin pies are baking! Thanksgiving is upon us and for college students that can only mean one thing... Thanksgiving BREAK! I am so excited to return home to KC tomorrow and I thought you all might enjoy a little Kansas City/Canton comparison.

The North Country truly has its own unique culture and St. Lawrence within it creates an interesting microcosm. Ottawa and Montreal are a relatively short drive away and the Adirondack National Park is right next door. My freshman year I grew to appreciate the striking beauty of the Adirondack area however I greatly underestimated the deep chill that envelopes the North Country! A few warm fleeces were definitely not sufficient! In Kansas City Uggs and Hunter boots are a fashion statement while in Canton they are a necessity.   Kansas City is much more of an ice and sleet kind of town.  That's why I love staring up into the sky during the first snowfall at St. Lawrence and watching as tiny flakes flutter down.  There is nothing like the crisp smell of cold air (Yes, I swear it has a smell!) and going to hockey games to cheer on our team while sitting on the old wooden benches in Appleton arena.

I was thrilled by the different kind of outdoor activities near campus. The Outing Club hosts Peak Weekend and the goal is to put a SLU student on top of each of the 46 Adirondack peaks. Well, let me tell you that is not something that can happen in the Midwest!  In Kansas City shopping at the Plaza is considered an outdoor activity! Forty-six peaks, we don't even have one! The two landscapes are a study in contrasts. There is nothing like the unobstructed horizon of the Midwest prairie or the brilliant foliage of Cascade Mountain in the fall.

At school I am the "loveable loser" because I support all the wrong teams. Here Sunday football fans tune into the Giants or the Pats and no one wants to watch the eternally struggling Chiefs play with me! As for the Royals, you can just forget about it! (Luckily, I have been a Red Sox fan since birth!) I bet very few of my fellow SLU students can boast that they have been to a rodeo but where I come from the American Royal is a Kansas City classic. When it comes to barbeque East Coast kids don't understands why I bring my own jars of Gate's sauce to school... until they taste it! At home I have even been to a massive competition where thousands of teams set up their own tent and tools to assert their barbeque mastery. No one does BBQ like Kansas City!

I have learned that I can belong in both worlds and alternate happily between them.  After 4 years in Canton I'm proud to call the North Country my home away from home.  It is completely different from the Midwest town where I was raised and yet holds an equally special place in my heart.  

And for that I am thankful this holiday!

Best Wishes & Go Chiefs,
Haley