I’ve lived in Kansas most of my life. If you’ve never been to Kansas, let’s save some time and get all the jokes out of the way:
- No, there aren’t tornadoes every day.
- I don’t own any ruby slippers and have yet to see a flying monkey.
- We actually have buildings and highways in the midst of the wheat and corn.
- We do have electricity and Wi-Fi and Starbucks and cars and high-definition TVs.
- Locals won’t laugh if you make a “not in Kansas anymore” joke.
Yes, to most of the world, my home state is one you typically drive through and fly over. I get it: We don’t have mountains or beaches or huge cities or noteworthy landmarks. I remember kind of despising my hometown of Wichita growing up. Compared to the rest of the world, Wichita seemed boring and unremarkable. I dreamed of moving to a big, exciting city like New York or Chicago where real things happened.
Matt Ehresman 