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Moving here was a huge culture shock to me in a lot of ways, the biggest one being how separate the area is. In DC you had your different groups and while it was often based on culture there was always cross-over. Here? Not so much. I remember having to run inference whenever we had a non-American family visit the store I worked at. So many of my co-workers were upset that they couldn't speak English or had an accent - and incredibly distrustful of them. I also see this when I shop at ethnic grocery stores. My husband & I eat a lot of international foods and grains - we find a better (and often cheaper) selection at various international grocery stories. Every time we walk in, though, I can feel the tension. It's obvious they've had quite a few Americans walks in and just make fun of the food/etc. I have to make an effort to talk to them and show them that I know about their foods & cultures before they welcome me. I've also made it a habit of asking people where they're from - especially people from Africa. Too often people don't even know that their are actual countries in Africa and the idea that someone knows where Nigeria / Sudan / Chad / Kenya / Ghana is and knows about the food, language(s) and culture means so much to them. It's ridiculous how close-minded people can be.