Dexter-Induced Homesickness

Last night, I got to do one of my absolute favorite things. I curled up in bed with my husband, and watched the latest episode of Dexter in the dark. Josh and I love Dexter. It's one of the only shows that we can watch together and enjoy equally.
To our absolute delight, we found out very quickly that the latest episode was titled Nebraska.Having lived in Nebraska for the past five years or so, we have developed a certain fondness for it, and we really excited to get to see how Dexter's story would take him there.

Dexter in a Nebraska cornfield

As usual, the show didn't disappoint. Dexter traveled to Kearny, Nebraska "unwind" from the latest stresses of his life by doing what he does best; tracking and killing a murderer. I loved getting to see my old home state. I doubt the episode was actually shot in Nebraska, but the set designers did a great job of capturing the small-town feel of Kearny. Dexter's alter-ego quipped "One good tornado would be a huge improvement for this town". I loved the scene where Dexter is completely perplexed by the kindness of a local, who offers to fix his blown tire for him. The "Welcome to Kearny Sign" was followed by a tagline that I have seen all throughout the state of Nebraska: "The Good Life".  Everything about the episode reminded me of what I have come to think of as my home. And it made me realize how homesick I really am.

Back in April, I was sitting in the banquet hall of my college, waiting to hear where I would be placed for my year-long internship. The internship could take us anywhere (there were even rumors of an Alaska placement). Like the rest of my fellow interns, I sat there, not know where I would go--but knowing that I certainly didn't want to end up staying in Nebraska. Every year, one unlucky person would be chosen to stay locally, and I didn't want it to be me--I was ready to get out of that state and move on to bigger and better things.

And I ended up here in Michigan. I was one of the lucky ones who got to move more than an hour away. And so we settled down into a new life here. And quickly learned that outside of our cozy haven in Seward, not everything is exciting and new. Michigan has been hit hard by the recession. Of the twenty or so auto plants that used to exist in our county, only two remain open. 100,000 people in this city alone have lost their jobs in the last seven years. It is an extremely depressed place, and extremely difficult to live in. Poverty is literally all around us, and with it, crime. Since moving here, a teenager has been shot and killed at our local grocery store. Two families from my congregation have moved due to drug and gang activity happening right outside of their homes. Where Josh works, a coworker got punched in the face so that a pack of cigarettes could be stolen.

We very rarely go out at night, and I very rarely go out alone. We just don't feel safe here. And it is so foreign to us not to feel safe. In the trusty town of Seward, our doors were always unlocked (a Midwestern habit that wasn't lost on Dexter). Despite the fact that there was only one bar, and a one screen movie theater in our small town, we could walk to those places at midnight and feel perfectly safe. We did it often in the summertime. I miss having that security. I miss the kindness of strangers that didn't make me suspicious of their intentions. I don't feel like I could ever be at home here, and it makes me really sad.

"Where do you hid a body when there isn't an ocean?" 
In a silo, that's where.

Of course, the same cannot be said for Dexter.
Being from Miami, he was uncomfortable in a place where everyone was all too aware of his presence and paid attention to his action.I can't relate to Dexter, there (and I should hope that I never do). It was great to get to see a place that I love so much on a show that I love so much. Nebraska became a place of healing for Dexter, and I hope that those who watched him were able to think of Nebraska fondly. I know that many people look down on small town life (and I can't say with complete honesty that I haven't been on of them). But I have truly grown to love it. And I hope that I can return to that lifestyle sometime very soon.