Kashea's Okie Adventures: Third Time's the Charm

A relative newcomer to Oklahoma, Georgia native and Oklahoma Today research editor Kashea McCowan is exploring what it means to make a new state your home in her new blog: Kashea's Okie Adventures.

Like most young adults, at age twenty-something, I longed to get out of my parents' house and into my own place as soon as possible. Carrollton is a small town in Georgia that sits just west of Atlanta and nestles up close to Alabama. The city is fairly small, and today the total population is a little more than 24,000 people. Being born and raised in a country town, I had city dreams and wanted to live in places like Atlanta and New York, but the universe seemed to have other plans for me, and like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, I was set out on a path less traveled and told to follow the yellow brick road.

But I wasn’t taken to Kansas. Instead, I was whooshed into Oklahoma.

In hindsight, there always were signs, hints, and clues that pointed me towards the Sooner State. My first introduction to Oklahoma was in 2003 during my senior year of high school. One of the last classes I had to take to graduate was drama, and I was stoked about participating in my first high school production. I didn’t know what to expect going in but I soon found out because listed on the syllabus for the semester production was Oklahoma!

"Oklahoma!?" my classmates and I exclaimed. “We don’t know anything about Oklahoma. What is even there?”

That evening I remember running home and complaining about it to my aunt, but she had a very different reaction—she burst into song.

Turns out she'd done the musical in grade school and proceeded to sing, “OOOOOOOOOklahoma, where the wind comes sweeping down the plains..." It was baffling to realize my aunt knew the words to the Oklahoma's state song verbatim.

Though I wasn't enthusiastic about the production, the musical turned out to be a fun success. I got to wear long prairie dresses, dance, act, and I learned Oklahoma's state song, which is now forever etched in my brain.

In 2005, I was a sophomore at the University of West Georgia and that is when I met my husband to-be, Michael. Originally from Salinas, California, he and his family relocated to Oklahoma when he was a young boy. He started his college career out at the University of New Mexico on a basketball scholarship, but after experiencing a taste of Atlanta’s nightlife, he ended up transferring to West Georgia. We began dating and about a year later I took my first visit to Oklahoma City.

The first thing I noticed about Oklahoma was that the farther away from Georgia I go, the more the tall pines begin to disappear. The hills and slopes start to turn into flat lands and prairies, and there is absolutely nothing for miles except casinos until you reach the city. It took me some time to find my affection for Oklahoma. After two failed attempts caused by fear, homesickness, sadness, and depression at being apart from my family, I came to Oklahoma for good in September 2012.

“Third time’s the charm,” I thought.

Though I grew up in Georgia, for the past seven years, Oklahoma has slowly become my second home. I have experienced some things here in Oklahoma City that I haven’t been able to do back in Georgia and have had tons of first-times like visiting the bison at the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, taking a hike to photograph Native American murals and sculptures in Hominy, or dining at Wanda J’s restaurant in Tulsa and visiting the Greenwood Cultural Center on Black Wall Street. And Devon Tower opened its doors in October 2012, just a month after my move and it has been a joy to witness its growth through the years.

Sometimes we don’t understand why things happen the way that they do, we just have to go with the flow. I wasn’t looking for Oklahoma; it found me. Georgia and Oklahoma are totally different when it comes to terrain and scenery, but in history, business, art, and music, both states have a lot of similarities when it comes to culture. It shows itself in the spirit of the people and stems from events like the Trail of Tears that began in the South to the making of Black Wall Street in Tulsa. And though I will forever be a Georgia peach, I am enjoying every bit of my time, and am looking forward to diving deeper and sharing all of my Oklahoma findings and experiences with Okies and Atliens, alike.

Do you have a suggestion for things Kashea should do to become an Okie? Email her at kashea.mccowan@TravelOK.com.

Written By

Kashea McCowan

When she is not working for the magazine, Kashea operates a small soap-making business, Herban Root Apothecary, while she also manages a design and screen printing business. In her spare time she loves gardening and spending time in nature, reading, writing, creating, listening to music, dancing, and doing yoga.