2 days ago The opinions expressed in The Lawrentian are those of the students, faculty and community members who wrote them. The Lawrentian does not endorse any opinions piece except for the staff editorial, which represents a majority of the editorial board. The Lawrentian welcomes everyone to submit their own opinions. For the full editorial policy and parameters for submitting articles, please refer to the about section. I’ll be honest. I’ve never been a fan of the Midwestern “friendliness” culture in Wisconsin. Coming from a city of 20 million people, you are trained to keep your eyes forward and your hand on your possessions as you navigate busy traffic or crowded markets. In my freshman year international student orientation, one of the seniors told us, “You’ll find it very, very, weird at first. Just smile and nod back. No one is being rude or trying to fight you.” This advice came to be useful the first time I went downtown because many people on the street who were not even Lawrence students were smiling or trying to say hello to me. I was pretty confused most of the walk, wondering: were people mistaking me for someone else? Do I have an approachable face? Or maybe my make-up looks off? Nope, it turns out that Midwesterners just love saying hello to each and every person on the street.