I’m in Georgia! I’ve been looking forward to this trip. It’s my first time here – my first time in the south, actually.

I’m staying with Mike’s family in Gainesville, Georgia. In case you’re confused, my Asian looking fiance is actually only half Asian. His parents are divorced and remarried, with one family living out in the Bay Area, and the other half (Caucasian side) living in north Georgia. They’re wonderful people who have practically adopted me into their family.

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Sunday Church

One of our first stops in Georgia: church! We went to Mike’s family church about 30 minutes away from their house, in a little town called Lula. It’s a small church with about 60 people or so. You can’t tell it’s a church from the outside.

The weekend service lasts from 9am-3pm, with a break in between for lunch. There’s lots of singing, and all the songs sound exactly the same. There’a also a service on Wednesday nights that everyone attends.

I’ve been to a church before, but nothing quite as conservative or intense like this. He yelled and sweated a lot. The audience members would respond back in agreement as he was preaching.

It’s bring-your-own-lunch in the lunch hall downstairs.

Cultural Differences

I’ve been told about some of the cultural differences between California and Georgia, but here are a few that stood out to me today:

• There’s no such thing as recycling, and I still can’t get myself to throw recyclables into the garbage
• Many dogs stay leashed outside
• People say “real” instead of “really”
• People are really nice (or should I say, “real nice”), even if you don’t know them
• Women are very ladylike. Unlike me.
• The highways look brand new and signage is easy to read. They make highways in CA look terrible.
• There are a lot of churches, and alcohol isn’t sold in some counties
• My ears ring at night because it’s so quiet.
• People talk about hunting a lot. It’s not just a stereotype – a lot of people actually go hunting for fun. Mike is the only one I know who has guns and an extensive knife collection – but it’s kind of the norm out here.

But the biggest difference I’ve noticed so far? People talk about family. A LOT. Marriages, kids, extended family, etc. They talk about family just as much as people in the Bay Area talk about their career. It makes me realize how devoted I am to my career, and what little I have to say about creating a family. I guess that’s just the way things are.

Jaemor Farms

We went to a place called Jaemor Farms, which is an orchard with a old-timey marketplace. They have an enormous collection of jams, hot sauces and jellies.

Frog Jam. Georgia Moonshine Jelly.

They had the most beautiful collard greens I’ve ever seen.

I finally tried these boiled peanuts (“boiled p-nuts”) that everyone was raving about. I wanted to like them. I didn’t. They were super soggy and really, really salty.

Joseph’s House

Mike’s best friend in Georgia is Joseph. He’s a member of the family church, and about 30 minutes away in a different county. Joseph has his own pet goat, which I am in love with.

Like Mike’s parent’s house, his house is on a huge piece of land full of trees. I like it quite a bit.

He cuts down his own trees!

They have a small farm with all kinds of cute animals.

At home

Mike’s parents house is really cool. It’s a very “American” looking house, with all sorts of knick knacks that make it feel cozy and welcoming.

They have two dogs that could not look more different. There’s a fat white one with stumpy legs, and a skinny black one with long legs.

The guy in the picture is WIlliam Branham, the prophet who found the church that Mike’s family attends.

Here’s Mike’s friend Joseph, with his wife, Rachel. Mike has known Joseph for over twenty years. Rachel is expecting their third child.

Mike in the living room.

Their recently remodeled kitchen, with shiny silver backsplash.

This is Mike’s mom, Gwen, preparing lobsters to put on the grill. We had five kinds of meat for dinner – chicken, steak, fish, shrimp, and lobster.

We also had corn and potatoes. Yum.