6 Month Update

We've been unofficial official North Carolinians for almost 6 months now. What makes us unofficial is our lack of true commitment. I mean, I still have my California plates on my car, we don't have North Carolina Drivers Licenses and my mail is being forwarded to my mom’s home. And whenever we talk about California, we always refer to it as Home. I hate that for us.

Nevertheless, as we continue to ease into this transition, I want to highlight some of the good and not so good things we've experienced so far living in North Carolina.
NORTH CAROLINA

1. Finances 💸💸💸

In my previous post, I briefly mentioned the details of our move but there was a lot that I left out. Since we decided to bring most of our possessions across country, we had a hefty bill to pay getting here. Flights, shipping vehicles, shipping our furniture, and buying everything we would need for our new place easily cost well over $8k. If I had to do it again, I would get rid of our larger items and stuff everything that I could into the car and purchase everything here. It did help that most things were cheaper than back home though. Premium gas was now $3.99 and no longer $6.89 per gallon. A weekly grocery trip would average us $89 instead of $140 now. But Starbucks ain't budging, a tall drink is still going to cost you about $4.00 which explains why I lines aren't that long. The statewide minimum wage for North Carolina is $7.25. With that being said, gainful employment here is hard to find unless you are looking for blue collar work. There is a large market for construction, law enforcement, warehouse, truck driving and healthcare. The wages are on the lower end but if you don't carry heavy debt, you can live a very modest life out here. Just something to keep in mind before deciding to make the move to the South.


2. Food 🍖

We all know that the South is known for its Barbeque but what it's not known for is its Mexican food. I tried one Mexican restaurant since I've been here, and it was enough to turn me off from trying to find any other Mexican food joint out here. The food was flavorless, the chicken taco was a chicken tender taco. Yup, a damn chicken tender from out the bag that you get a Safeway Harris Teeter, that they warmed up, chopped, and threw into a taco. Never again! When we went home briefly back in December, I went to Adalberto’s in Fairfield and got the yummiest Chicken Nachos and ashamedly, went to Jim Boys Tacos and got 12 Chicken tacos. I ate all 12...but it was worth it and held me over for when we flew back to NC. But enough about the bad, let’s talk about the good. If you never had Black Powder BBQ in Jamestown, NC, you're truly missing out. Big portions with even bigger flavor, the food is 🔥. Like a lot of other BBQ restaurants, you order at the counter, and they'll bring it out to your table when ready. Black Powder offers a casual dining experience, with family-style picnic tables. But BBQ isn't the only great food they offer out here. The Raleigh Crab house blows Crustacean/ Than Long out the water (pun intended). You ever had food so good it makes your body tingle? yea? Well, you get that at the Raleigh Crab house. I had the King Crab Legs and hushpuppies. Like most crab houses, you pick your butter mix. I chose garlic every time because I know what to expect and it just meshes so well with Crab. The Thai Food isn't too shabby either, my go to is the Pineapple Fried Rice, and Kin Thai Zabb makes it just right. I haven't been adventurous yet to try anything else on the menu but when I do, I will follow up. Then of course, there is your assortment of desserts joints like Duck Donuts, Pops Donuts, and Crumbl Cookies. There are some black owned restaurants in Greensboro and Charlotte that I can't wait to take a trip to. I'll be sure to take pics next time!


3. Activities 🌁

Having 2 kids with a huge age gap, it is important for us as a family to find activities that we all can participate in. The brand-new Children's Museum in High Point provides interactive learning for children of all ages. The Children’s Museum in Greensboro is perfect for hands-on learning through play, it also has more than 20 exhibits to explore. When we don’t want to have to pay to play, we go to one of the many libraries or parks in our area. When big sister is at school, Jrue and I attend the Baby Reading program held by the Greensboro library. It's a great way to get him to socialize and for me to connect with other moms. We have our first playdate scheduled for the end of the month. With most things being inexpensive, Amara is enrolled in dance school for $70/month. We’re looking to cheer next; our 2023 Track & Field season is still undecided….


4. Transportation ←

I hope my NC people don't hate me but ya'll can’t drive. I mean, ya'll can drive but it's slow. Like irritatingly slow but I know with time, my need for speed will waver over time. Another thing, there are no sidewalks. There is so much greenery here but it's dangerous to access because you're sandwiched between grass and the road. We are in the middle of Charlotte and Raleigh so there are airports an hour out in either direction.


5. People ☮

The people have been people. Cities like Greensboro, Charlotte, and Raleigh no longer have a southern city feel anymore. It’s overflowing with moving in from states like California, New York and Florida and the atmosphere has changed dramatically. Some might say for the better and other might say NC is slowly losing its culture. We've encountered kind strangers who given our children balloons and other freebies from the kindness of their hearts but then there have been other people who give glaring looks when they see you simply existing. Thankfully the latter hasn't been a common occurrence.