quasi-midwesterner

i was back in nebraska and kansas with my family for the holidays. we moved around so much when i was growing up that i never really know how to answer the question, "where are you from". my parents met in lincoln, nebraska, though, and both sides of my family have pretty much settled around that area. i graduated from high school in kansas and lived back there again the year after i graduated from college. i decided then and there that the midwestern lifestyle was not for me. i realized that i was much more of a city girl than a country gal. so, i packed up my bags and moved back to north carolina which is where i consider "home" now. i said all of that to say although the midwestern lifestyle is not my cup of tea anymore, i do appreciate some of the finer points of country life.
for instance, i was surprised to find that when i went to the local grocery store (as in, the only one in town), not only did they bag my groceries for me, a high-school student offered to carry my bags out to my car for me. i didn't know what to do. should i refuse and carry them myself? if i let him carry the bags, should i tip him? i decided then to just go with the flow and accept this kind gesture. i did decide to tip him, but he refused my money and said, "it's just part of my job, ma'am". wow. where else do you find that sort of service? and then, on my way back to my parents' house, every driver that i passed waved at me. again, i was surprised. i didn't know these people from adam, but they still waved at me. interesting. now, midwesterners are notorious for their friendliness, but even that goes a little far.
i found myself enjoying this hospitality, though. even a city girl like me can appreciate a little down home friendliness, and that's why i enjoy my visits in the midwest so much. i'm not about to pack up and move back there, but the visits infuse me with enough midwestern vitality to keep those roots thriving.