Only Real Idahoans Know The Meaning To These Words

Idaho is one of America's most romanticized states. We may not have a tv show like Yellowstone promoting the Gem State, but Idaho is a great state. Thousands of folks from all over the world travel to the Gem State to get away from their congested city-dwelling lives.

In the winter, folks fly in to take advantage of Idaho's world-class ski resorts. Spring, summer, and fall, it's hiking, camping, boating, driving, and anything else you can imagine involving the outdoors.

Like the state's one-of-a-kind landmarks like Shoshone Falls and the great Snake River, Idaho has plenty of unique elements that others will only comprehend if they live here.

In the military, they call it host country sensitivities, in other words, habits and customs unique to a particular country that may not translate to another. The book The 'Ugly American' detailed our problems with understanding other cultures while urging American foreign policy to move away from ethnocentrism.

For example, if you're driving in Idaho and need to merge onto another lane, chances are a friendly Idahoan will let you merge into their lane. That doesn't happen east of the great river or in California.

Idahoans love to wave to one another while walking, or they're sure to stop when a pedestrian crosses in front of them at the supermarket. The rest of the outside of Idaho world may think of our state as the nation's home to potatoes and a blue football field; however, those who live here and love it understand that Idahoans have their own unique culture and language.