Once a Midwesterner always a Midwesterner, even if you move to a different part of the world. Maybe you’ve lived in Spain for 20 years, speak the language, and fit right in with the culture. But if you spend the first 18 years of your life in Grand Rapids? You’re a Midwesterner, baby. Maybe you wanted to ditch your small-town identity and move to a big city on one of the coasts to pursue your dreams. But the minute you say «ope» when you’re squeezing by someone on the subway, your Midwest identity comes rushing back to you. 

Maybe you moved across the world to Australia, where nobody knows you or your story. Little do you know, you’ve already outed yourself as a Midwesterner. When a new Aussie friend told you that they liked your shirt, you said, «Thanks, I got it on sale.» Boom. You can never truly outrun your roots, but why would you want to?