Difficultly adjusting after relocating from DC
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
| Grew up moving a lot and living all over the place. There are people of every type everywhere, but it takes time and effort to find them. They may not look exactly as you expect so you need to drop your preconceptions and try to get to know a lot of people. You’ll fail more than you succeed but keep trying! It takes two years to feel settled in a new place, IME. |
Anonymous
I thought it was Winnetka. But Chicago isn't what I'd think of as flyover... |
Anonymous
| If you are liberal, I would try a UU Congregation. We are UU and have found like people in various Congregations around the country. It won't have all the diversity you seek, but you may be able to find a friend or two. |
Anonymous
PP here. Apparently it was Evanston. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mean_Girls But I was close. You are really struggling to find interesting people in Chicago? |
Anonymous
| I thought Mean Girls was inspired by Evanston? If you’re in the Chicago area there are many options with more diversity. Try a different suburb. Same goes for most major cities, actually. |
Anonymous
I’m from Chicago and am now in DC. It’s extremely segregated and has major race problems. Neighborhoods can feel like small towns in some ways. It may be a huge city, but has many qualities you’d expect from a layover state once you get away from touristy areas. |
Anonymous
| Mean girls is based on the New Trier School District as is every single John Hughes movie. |
Anonymous
That is where the movie takes place, but Tina Fey used her experience in Upper Darby, PA and the author of "Queen Bees and Wanna Bees" is from the DC area. |
Anonymous
It isn't a John Hughes film. |
Anonymous
| I assume you are in private OP? I would strike up conversations with moms that work or look like they DGAF fashion wise. We moved to a flyover city and there is a weird SAHM mean girls tribe that went to all the daytime PTO and social events at school. My job is flexible so I went at first, but hated it. Night time events are good and having your child in after care might mean you meet more moms at pick up. I also have a lot of SAHM friends now, but I'm guessing they were avoiding the mean girl crowd too. |
Anonymous
Reread the sentence. It didn’t say it was a John Hughes movie. He was dead by then. |
Anonymous
Ok, that's a bit dramatic OP. You think b/c you're in the same suburb that inspired Mean Girls that every mom is shallow, 1-dimensional, and automatically mean? Pot meet kettle. |
Anonymous
Well now it's a total mystery. In any event, Upper Darby PA, DC and Chicago -- none of these are flyover state areas. |
Anonymous
OP here. I never said they were mean girls, just homogenous and yes one dimensional. |
Anonymous
| Op I know what you mean. I’m in a suburb of Milwaukee so ppl aren’t as wealthy but there is very little diversity—racial or socioeconomic. We’ve been here 3 years and have genuinely tried making friends. We have made some friends but they are not very deep or meaningful relationships just people we like well enough to hang out with occasionally so we have some type of social life. It seems like almost everyone who lives here grew up here or nearby and has family and old friends here so we have always felt like outsiders. We can’t wait to leave. |