Yes, I know you’re not supposed to talk to strangers on the internet, but apparently I don’t like to follow the rules.
I’ve had my fair share of internet friends throughout the years, some of them being from Minnesota who I could meet up with at concerts or events and some of them being from other states and even other countries. I’ve been lucky enough to be able to have some of my internet friends visit me and to have been able to go visit some of them.
However, things went a step further this past year. I moved in with one of them.
It sounds a lot more daunting than it actually was. My current roommate Kasey and I met on Instagram in 2014 and began talking much more frequently in 2018. For our whole story, stay tuned to read our collaborative article.
Before we moved in together, we had met twice. She flew to Minnesota in March 2019 to come register for classes and I flew to Oregon in June to spend 10 days exploring her home turf. So once the day came for us to move in, it wasn’t like we were strangers by any means.
I’ve always wondered what it would be like to pack up my things and move to a whole new place, but I’ve never had the guts. So for some insight, I decided to ask her questions that I think people would be interested in knowing.
Amanda Caudle (AC): Let’s get some basics out of the way: what’s your name? How old are you? What’s your major? And where are you from?
Kasey Farace (KF): Kasey; 20; undecided; Portland, Oregon.
AC: Why did you move here?
KF: That’s complicated… It’s hard to explain. To try something new, basically.
AC: How do you like it so far?
KF: It’s good, but I miss my family more than I thought I would.
AC: If you could re-do the move, what would you change?
KF: Maybe the timing. Maybe I’d like to have known what I wanted to study before I came here.
AC: What has been the hardest thing to adjust to?
KF: Not having my dog.
AC: What’s something you’re looking forward to while you’re here?
KF: All the concerts we have planned attending, and I’m excited and nervous about the winter and all the snow.
AC: What have been some of the biggest surprises?
KF: I really hate the humidity. Oh, and I hate the sales tax. It wasn’t a surprise, but I hate it. (They don’t have sales tax in Oregon.)
AC: What things are similar and/or different between MN and OR?
KF: It’s nice not having to pump your own gas at home, but gas here is cheaper. It also never gets as humid at home as it does here. (She’s literally always complaining about being sweaty).
AC: Is there anything you were surprised was the same or different between here and Oregon?
KF: I visited once before, so it wasn’t a huge surprise, and not specifically Minnesota, but it is so much flatter in the midwest than I thought it was.
AC: If you could bring something back home with you, what would you bring?
KF: You. (Awwwww)
AC: If you could bring something from home here, what would you bring?
KF: My family and my dog. Shari’s, too, because I miss pie-shakes. (I agree—I wouldn’t be that mad if Shari’s appeared here. Their pie-shakes are pretty awesome.)
AC: Where is somewhere you want to go while you’re here?
KF: Fargo, North Dakota, and Canada.
AC: What has been your favorite part of the move?
KF: Having friends around all the time and being able to do what I want since my parents aren’t here to judge me for the decisions I make.
AC: Have you learned anything about yourself?
KF: I value alone-time a lot more than I thought I did. At home, I was bummed that I didn’t have a lot of people to hang out with, but now that people are around whenever I want, I just want to be alone sometimes.
AC: What’s your favorite thing about Winona?
KF: How close everything is, and you don’t have to do a lot of driving to get to where you need to go.
AC: Compare your experiences at Winona State University to Portland State University.
KF: Winona is safer and a smaller city instead of being in downtown Portland.
AC: What is something that surprised you about moving in with an internet friend?
KF: Well, it didn’t surprise me when we moved in, but when we met the first time, we were comfortable from the start and it wasn’t ever awkward, so that made me excited to move in with you.
AC: How did your family react to you saying you wanted to move across the country to live with a random person from the internet?
KF: My grandparents didn’t understand at all. My cousin went to school here last year and he dropped out because of the weather, so they all brought that up. They bring up how I’m like a world traveler now because I’ve been to a few places. The general consensus, though, was that it would be a good thing for me.
AC: Okay last question: was it worth it?
KF: I can’t say for sure, considering it’s not over yet. I want to figure out a major still, which I have a semester and a half to do.
Having visited Oregon myself, I can agree and relate to a lot of the things Kasey misses and loves about her home state. However it’s super awesome watching someone adjust to a life I’ve lived my whole life. I couldn’t be more excited for what’s to come with Kasey by my side!