For my final blog, after discussing many differences varying in different places all across the country,  ranging from slang to shoes, to different snacks, I decided to end with something that I was not expecting to find as I moved. While some of these differences shocked me, and others were more expected, my final blog is about something I did not even know would vary around the country: sports. I have always been surrounded by sports. All of my siblings and I filled our weeks with games and practices for over a decade, and watching football and basketball games were what we looked forward to every weekend. Still, even though I no longer have games and practices to participate in, watching sporting events is something I find very entertaining, as well as a frequent event in my life. I did not realize until coming here, however that some people in other parts of the country did not have the same experience as me. Though they may also love sports, I have come to learn that the specific agenda I had when referring to sports could be different than that of someone who does not live in the east coast. I knew obviously different countries prioritized certain sports over others, yet I just assumed that as a country, I would have have the same view as my friends who only lived a few thousand miles away in a different area of that country.

My first hint of a difference only began at the beginning of this semester. My friends and I were talking about how excited we were to go to the football games throughout the fall, and the conversation began to shift to include other sports as well. As my two friends, one from New Jersey and the other from New York began to discuss the excitement around hockey games, and their need to buy season tickets, I was left confused. Obviously I had known hockey existed, and respected it as a sport, yet I had never actually heard anyone discussing a hockey game, and especially not with the enthusiasm they were expressing towards these season tickets. I think there may be some kind of hockey team in San Diego, but the fact that I can not even say that with certainty is enough proof of just how unpopular hockey is on the west coast. As time progressed from this discussion, and hockey season was getting ready to start, once again the same two friends were discussing how happy they were for the season to finally be around the corner. It still amazes me that a sport they grew up watching, one that their brothers played, and one that they attended many games of, is a sport I am not even sure how they keep score. I still have yet to be to a hockey game, and am not sure if I will ever be fully able to consider myself a hockey fan, but it is something I am actually very excited to explore and start watching games and possibly find a new sport I would enjoy! Though this may seem like a very minute thing to write a blog post on, I found it very interesting. One of my friends who is from Pennsylvania even said that he thinks hockey was the most popular and celebrated sport in his entire high school. Coming from a school that prided itself on their football and soccer team, and most of my peers agreeing with their lack of knowledge with the sport as a whole, this shocked me.

I found this entire blog a really interesting one to write pieces about. The many differences that arose throughout the semester were quite interesting and super fun to explore and write about, and I enjoyed hearing the feedback from my friends as well as my peers about how they observed the differences, coming from other parts of the country.

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