10 Things I Don't Like About Montana

When Paul and I moved to Montana, we were in for a pretty big culture shock. Things just aren't the same here, which we expected, but we obviously didn't know exactly what to expect. Over the past month or so I've been noticing things that are different and that I don't like. Now, I don't hate these things, but they definitely bug me. So, I thought I'd share with you some of my aggravations with Montana.

1. My biggest frustration is that they don't have stop signs. Okay, they have stop signs in some places...but not all. That's weird to me and makes me feel a little unsafe. It's not uncommon to come to an intersection with NO stop signs at all. Who goes first? Who has the right of way? If we both went and had an accident, who is responsible? Theoretically, everyone yields to the person on the right in these situations. That makes sense, I guess. But wouldn't it make more sense to just put stop signs there? Just a thought.
2. Walmart. Now, I've never liked a Walmart in any city that I've lived so this wasn't a big surprise. But the people here are different. They're a little bit rude and obviously think that they have the right of way at all times. One time, a lady was blocking the exit of an aisle and I politely let her know that I was going to slip behind her to get out. She didn't move or even acknowledge me. Talk about awkward! And when they push their carts out of aisles, they don't even look for oncoming shoppers. I've had numerous near buggy accidents because they pull out in front of me without hesitation, then give me an evil eye. Am I suppose to yield to the people on the right, like at these weird stop-signless intersections? Who knows. You better put your game face on before you go into a Walmart here. It's weird though. At any other place, people her are incredibly nice, polite and kind. I don't know why but it seems to just be a Walmart thing.
3. Another problem I have are the stop lights. They're perfect until it snows and there is ice on the road. See, you know those times when the light turns yellow and you aren't sure if you should stop or go? In Johnson City I always stopped, even if it required some hard braking, because they had cameras on the lights and they would mail you a ticket. But here, you just go because once you hit your brakes...you go to sliding. Believe me. I did it the first time I went driving in the snow. Lesson learned. Make no sudden movements. I'll get use to this one, but for now I'm having to learn to just run red lights instead of sliding off the road trying to stop. 
4. You may not think that the paint on the roads is a big deal. I didn't either until I got here. Paint lines are nearly invisible because of the snow, ice, gravel and snow plows. This wouldn't be as big of a problem if I knew where I was going. It's kind of impossible to get in a turn lane you don't know exists and Paul is all the time straddling the middle line. Not because he's a bad driver but because we don't know the line is there. Parking lots are a free for all because it's not like you know where each spot is. That's what the paint is for. That's right. The paint you can't see. It's really hard to learn your way around a new town with no lines on the roads. Just saying. 
5. Mostly, learning to drive on ice and snow has been a big challenge for me. I guess that isn't a Montana thing and more of a Bethany thing. My Corolla has proven to not be much of a snow vehicle. She does fine but she gets stuck easily. Paul had to push me out of an icy parking spot that was on a slight hill the other day. No big deal around here but I thought it was very embarrassing. I'm sure I'll get over that soon, too. 
6. Don't get me wrong, I love the snow. But life goes on here, even when it drops 2 feet over night. Everyone goes to work, on time even, and the schools definitely don't get out. And that means I run my errands in the snow. After it has snowed it's worse, when the sun comes out and the whole world is a bright, blinding white. I basically need 4 pairs of sunglasses to dim the glares off of the roads. I'm getting pretty use to driving with sunglasses on, visor down, one hand over my eyes and a hard squint. I'm pretty sure there is no changing this so I'm going to have to accept how bright it always is. 
7. Fast food here is more expensive. We haven't eaten a lot of it since we've been here. I guess we were pretty burned out after so many days on the road. I've never eaten at so many fast food joints than we did in those couple of weeks. But when we have, we noticed that their "value menus" aren't such a value. Sure, there is no sales tax here but even if you factor that in, it's still more expensive. It's probably a good thing though because now we're not as tempted to get fast food. 
8. Speaking of eating, Helena has a horrible selection of chain restaurants. I wouldn't mind so much if they didn't constantly play commercials for places we don't have. Well, maybe they're close by...right? Nope. Most the time they are hours and hours away. Olive Garden. Sonic. Little Caesars. Cracker Barrel. I see their commercials everyday. Just tempting me. They even sell Chick-fil-A gift cards at Walmart but the closest one is in WYOMING. Not a single one in the state of Montana. What's up with that? How many gift cards do they really sell?
9. And, they talk a little different here. I'm getting use to it but it sounds like a variation of a Canadian accent. Not as strong but imagine a Canadian saying "about". You know, they say "a-boot"...Montanans sound a little like that. They say crick instead of creek and call snowmobiles sleds. The first time someone told me their hobby was to "sled" I was like, "Oh, like dog sledding?" No Bethany, not dog sledding. Insert foot in mouth now. He knew immediately that I'm not from here. 
10. Lastly, I don't like how people park on the street all the time. It's a weird concept to me because I've never really lived anywhere that this is common. Here it is. A lot of homes don't have garages and only  have on street parking. I'm okay with that but what I'm not okay with is when they build a brand new Buffalo Wild Wings with a huge parking lot and the road leading up to the restaurant is lined with cars and the parking lot is empty! Are you kidding me. Who would want to parallel park if you didn't have to? Whatever, I guess that means there should always be plenty of parking for me in the parking lot...with no lines. 

So, that's some of the things I'm having to get use to here. Nothing major; just a few annoying things that I'm sure no one here thinks is annoying. One day I'll write a post about the things that are different here that I LOVE because there are things that make those other things worth it. :)

Love and Happiness,

Bethany