1. Explaining What A Hoosier Is
A word that really means nothing besides “someone from Indiana,” out-of-towners always have a hard time grasping this one. It’s just one thing they’ll never understand.
2. Counting Calories
Not only is it hard to count calories in Indiana, it’s just not much fun. With so much hearty home-style cooking and festivals built around deep-fried food, like the Evansville Fall Fest and the State Fair, what’s the point of living in Indiana if you can’t chow down from time to time?
3. Hunting Down The Town From “Parks And Rec”
Curiosity about Indiana has been growing around the country since “Parks and Recreation” started airing. To save you some time, the town Pawnee isn’t real. However, it’s said Muncie is the town that’s featured on maps occasionally seen in the show—it’s just upside down.
4. Finding A Good Euchre Partner
A card game that many find initially confusing, Euchre is one game that hasn’t travelled much out of the Midwest. Known for the rule that makes certain jacks the highest cards in the deck, if you find a good buddy to play euchre with, you do whatever you can to keep them around.
5. Wearing Sleeves On Indy 500 Day
Not only is it usually extremely hot, having sleeves on this race day are sure to put a damper on your classic Indiana experience. It’s just un-American.
6. Rude People
Welcome to the Midwest, where everyone treats you like family. Indiana is home to some of the nicest people around and most of them would probably give a stranger the shirt off their own back if asked to do so.
7. Colts Haters
It’s hard not to love the Indianapolis Colts. First they had Manning, now they have Luck… more great things are surely ahead. If someone’s talking trash about the blue and white, it’s best they do it elsewhere.
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8. Seeking Shelter When The Storms Roll In
We all know the obvious smart thing to do is to head to the basement when the storm sirens go off. But still, every time there’s some intense weather coming, the first move of most Hoosiers will be to step out on their front porch to watch it roll in, beer in hand.
9. Reminding People Where Indiana Is On A Map
To most Americans, Indiana is just another flyover state. They’ll have a hard time picking it out of the giant blob in the middle of the country that they assume is just corn. It can get annoying quick by the third or fourth time you have to tell somewhere where your state is in their own country.
10. The Wacky Weather
The weather in Indiana is notorious for having crazy mood swings. One hour it will be super hot to the point that you’re sweating, then the next hour there might be sleet falling from the sky. Most Hoosiers have accepted the fact that local weather reports can’t be trusted and simply prefer to pack for whatever storms might hit in the trunk of their car.
11. Cheering For Mediocre Basketball
The state that basically built basketball, Indiana has historically pumped out the best players in the world. Unfortunately, the local college teams have been having a rough time as of late. Of course, there’s no doubt amongst Hoosiers that they’ll be back on top soon.
12. Justifying To Outsiders Why Indy Is So Awesome
It’s a huge city, filled with tons of awesome food, entertainment, and the best people you’ll ever meet. People tend to drag their misconceptions about Indiana over to their assumptions about what Indy is like to. One quick trip will easily have them changing their tune.
13. Manually Adjusting Clocks According To Time Zone
At certain places in Indiana, it’s possible to drive across town and suddenly be in a different time zone. This used to be a lot more confusing until thankfully smartphones started updating automatically, but it can still catch you off guard from time to time.
14. Waiting For The Luck To Return To The Irish
A dominating team that most Americans don’t even realize is in Indiana, Notre Dame hasn’t won an undisputed national championship in football since 1988 or in basketball since 1936, despite usually being a frontrunner of college sports. No worries though, their fan base remains unwavering, always confident that their team will be the best in the country come next season.
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15. Waiting For Opening Day Of Hunting Season
The opening day of hunting season might as well be a holiday in this state. Many Hoosiers are totally willing to take off work or skip school for a chance to bag a big deer early. With how awesome venison tastes, you can’t really blame them.
16. Driving All The Way To An Actual Beach
With hotspots like Lake Shafer’s Indiana Beach and the Dunes in Northern Indiana so close, it’s hard to justify drives over 12 hours to see a coastline. The beaches here might not be Malibu, but for most people, they’ll do just fine.
17. Waiting To Buy Drinks At Holiday World
Known for being “#1 for family fun,” Holiday World has grown into a massive theme park over recent years with over 50 rides and counting. Despite growth, they still offer free soda and sunscreen to all patrons, making it easy to wet your whistle here.
18. Getting Lost In The Cornfields
While Indiana does have plenty of scattered towns worth visiting, part of the charm here is the vast farmland you pass during long drives. That being said, every Hoosier knows that wandering around in random cornfields is never a good idea. It’s super easy to get disoriented and it’s also trespassing.
19. Waiting For The Pacers’ Return To Glory
It’s been quite some time since the days of Reggie Miller, but the Pacers seem to be picking up more steam every season. Hopefully having a healthy Paul George will make all the difference. Either way, this basketball loving state will never desert their team.
20. Heavy Traffic
Some Hoosiers might think they’ve seen bad traffic, but with the exception of the fringes of Chicagoland and rush hour in Indianapolis, Indiana’s roads are some of the easiest to navigate in the country.
Worst case scenario, you’ll get stuck behind a tractor or cut off by a train for a few minutes from time to time… it’s still nothing like the hour plus commutes that many people in the country make twice a day.
21. Justifying Why Life In Indiana Is So Awesome To Outsiders
Indiana is a hard state to brag about because life there is so humble. That’s the appeal though. With a few big cities and a lot of rural area, the charm of Indiana is that it’s filled with old-fashioned American homeliness. Life in Indiana tends to move at a slower pace and Hoosiers are perfectly fine with that. One state that will always be welcoming and full of the most genuine Americans around, Indiana is one place that’s totally worthy of being called “home.”
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