“From Away” when you live in Maine.
How do those two words make you feel when you hear them? I am a Maine lifelong native but if I was labeled “from away”, I don’t think I would glow warm and fuzzy inside. Maybe once someone discovers a place they love, there is a need to hog it all to themselves? Plenty of room for more in sparsely populated and vast rural Maine regions. That’s the truth of the matter.
If someone reminded you about being “from away”, how could you not feel like an outsider?
Somehow referred to as “from away” makes me feel I missed a lot or am not as valuable or part of things. Or don’t get too comfortable, you will never be a local. Hmmmm.
Everyone wants to be included no matter where they were earlier in life during childhood or while in the service or working in a relocation location other than Maine.
Is there a sense of excitement when you learn someone is “from away”? Does it means new ideas, a broader pool of experiences for everyone to draw from and tap? It could.
And often the “new person from away” is actually a native. Called away for work, school, Uncle Sam service for their country and now returning home in Maine.
New people, more volunteers to put their heart and soul into the community, sports team coaching, church choir group, whatever local event.
New blood to operate a small business with flare. When someone moves to Maine, they bring with them plenty. Kids for the schools.
I remember during 911 sudden explosion of US Border Patrol, Customs, Immigration hires thinking “hope one of the kids plays hockey, could be our new goalie”.
One of the US Border Patrol agents had a wife who could create Tex Mex to die for and she cooked every Tuesday night.
At The Blue Moose Restaurant in Monticello ME you could graze on the best southwest cuisine. Nothing like Old El Paso refried beans out of a can. The real deal. By living so close to Mexico in Texas, this cook in the kitchen knew her south of the border cuisine and shared her culinary knowledge every Tuesday night.
Slowly I started to notice grocery store shelves with new items. The spices, new items to make the these Tex Mex creations in our own homes was possible. Being “from away” meant sharing what you learned with the small town Maine community.
Like travel, the person “from away” has something to contribute. And often the “from away” person moved to your town as an infant. Not their fault they missed four months or a couple years in the beginning of their life somewhere other than Maine.
Ken Knowles, a town manager of two local towns, Linneus and Hodgdon Maine told me he was “an outside from away”.
He was four months old when his family moved to Aroostook County. Not bitter, just stating a fact. That he would always be “from away”. Does it make a difference if you are “from away” wherever you move to? Will it impact your life in Maine?
In a crowded city, most folks coming and going are “from away” or somewhere else. Maybe no distinction is made whether you hail from the area from birth or just rolled into town twenty minutes ago.
Moving to an area is a change, upheaval in a person’s life and you left behind your last “home”.
You do leave behind family, friends, old familiar routines when you move away from what was home. Somethings left in the rear view mirror, put behind you leaving Dodge when you hit the trail are a good thing. But happy memories, hoping your new area creates more of them is a legitimate expectation right?
What about the people in Maine that are not from away or maybe they are.
What happens when they get the impression the move to your area is a disappointment. Expressions like “back in Tuskaloo, I blah blah blah.” When heard a lot in conversation, especially when Maine is portrayed as lacking this, this and that. It can get old. And you could wonder why did this person move or what did they expect?
Maybe moving to a new area seemed like a good idea at the time but how could you really know it was the best idea?
Try it, you might or might not like it. And how long do you give a new area to settle in, create a new mailing address to mold you?
More than two words “from away” involved here.
When you made the move to Maine matters and did you do it for a better small town experience for your kids? Was it to escape too many people, crime, traffic and a high cost of living? To save money. Or because you loved Maine vacations, thought wouldn’t a full time relocation move be a fantasy dream come true?
COVID trapped and working at home online taught folks hey, as long as I have long and strong Internet. Let’s pack the job with our personal belongings and point the car north to Maine.
If you are happy and you know it, clap your hands. Welcome to Maine.
If you were not handstand happy the last three locations you lived out of state, that trend to continue. Like let’s have a baby to improve a marriage or fix it, a relocation to Maine might not be the end all solution to all of life’s problems.
What does the search online show for “from away”?
“A non-native person or a person who doesn’t have roots going back three-plus generations” is the definition I found.
Learn something everyday right? I thought “from away” means you were somewhere else, not in class, just not here in Maine 365/24/7. Or just not stork delivered here as a new born. Just had no control over where your delivery took place. We’re not talking culture, race, religious, etc but just the fact you are new, not from here. Does someone feel threatened?
Is “from away” a stigma or something a person carries like a disease?
Is there any reason to point it out. Like “I didn’t go to college” comment or observation some make to all they meet. I never would have know if you had not pointed it out and so what. Maybe they don’t think it’s a big hairy deal but when someone does not like you, utter the expression. They remind you you are from somewhere, anywhere else but Maine. Ouch.
Thank you very much and feeling pretty warm, special, welcome Chummy, Mister Man.
In a small Maine community, it’s not just a case of all the folks three generations deep are on this side of the gym. You “others” just line yourselves up on the opposite side please and thank you.
Making everyone feel welcome and empathy for others, enjoying socializing and learning together. Do you march to that drum beat? In a Rotary or local service club, your church, in the workplace, in your social media posts, is it obvious you have a spirit to include others? It better be if you want to grow and improve.
Shake it up and move around at all those meetings you attend.
Don’t sit in the same place with the same small group and break it up to include “others”. What is the fear not too? That someone that new person is different or you can only have so many friends or acquaintances?
“You’re not from around here” feeling or reminder is not being a member of the Welcome Wagon.
Hospitality and a sense this small Maine home town proud community is a place I want to spend time.
To pitch in and help out and to be sensitive to others new and old around me. Friendly, genuine interest and attention is never forgotten by the brand new to your small Maine town.
The new kid in town and all alone the first day of school at lunch in the cafeteria.
If you have never been one, easy to not be so sensitive. When you know or are related to many around you, it is easier to forget to reach out to any and all new folks who wander into your small Maine town.
I would like to see my small Maine town of 6000 grow to 7500 people.
All ages, from diverse backgrounds and young, older, in between. Back in 1957, my small Maine town peaked around 10,000 population.
The Bangor & Aroostook railroad, a local college, industry and the downtown were bigger before the Internet and Interstate. My small town in Maine
With the outward migrations from crowded, expensive city urban areas, Maine is seeing the population numbers increase slowly from the siphon to the city where eight out of ten people had to go for jobs.
Online working remotely and telecommuting to jobs has helped change all that.
Simple small town living and feeling safe, needed in the Maine community. That kind of place is searched for online hard as Maine comedian Bob Marley would empathize “HHHHHAAArddd”.
Everyone wants to find a place where they feel wanted under the sun and stars.
Where they can glean and give back to make where they call home all that it can be. To do more than make ends meet and to enjoy life instead of chasing the almighty dollar to keep the wolf from their door financially.
Some of the most interesting people are from all over the place and many land in Maine.
Not because they are on the witness protection program but life took them here and there. Super vacations in Maine primes the relocation pump.
Past, rich experiences they had personally over the years can be a very valuable resource that causes Maine to pop to the front of the mind when it’s time to move somewhere.
Tap these individuals on the shoulder, shake their hand.
Go out of your way to Invite them into your population as you reinvent and improve it. Also, the folks shut in and without family connections. Include them in your celebrations and holidays.
Be friendly, reach out and see what a valuable resource you have living right in your own small Maine town.
Maine in so many ways is the way life should be with one unique rich history.
Hope you enjoy our blog post hunt and peck about Me In Maine.
I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker
207.532.6573 | info@mooersrealty.com |
MOOERS REALTY 69 North ST Houlton ME 04730 USA