Living in Kansas is an experience I think everyone should try, whether you end up liking it here or not. After all, small town life doesn’t get any better than Kansas. However, there’s a few things that make us so uniquely… us. Nothing quite explains life in Kansas as much as some of the phrases you’ll hear all over the place. How many of these have you said or heard?

1. "Op- sorry, lemme just scooch past you guys..."
Sue Cro/Flickr
You'll find that Kansans all over use "y'all" and "you guys" and the Midwestern "ope" noise is used all over the place.
2. "If the pork tenderloin doesn't surround the bun, it's not worth my time."
Joe Utsler/Flickr
I've seen tenderloins bigger than the bun, and others that are bigger than the plate itself. As long as it's hand breaded, bigger really is better.
3. "Sorry, I've got church."
Allison Turrell/Flickr
Planning something on a Wednesday night or a Sunday during daylight hours is almost impossible. At least one or two of your friends will probably have church and won't be able to make it.
4. "The bonfire's cancelled, there's a burn ban."
Tyler/Flickr
There's always a burn ban, it feels like. Well, at least when you're trying to plan a night out at the lake.
5. "No, you go first, I insist."
Amtec Staffing/Flickr
Opening doors for someone often leads them to just take the door from you and insist you go in ahead of them. Then, it's a back and forth between you until you can't smile anymore and you have to end it. Funny enough, this also applies to 4-way stops near small towns.

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6. "Just bring a casserole or something."
Meaghan O'Malley/Flickr
Don't know what to bring to the potluck? If someone's already bringing chips, a casserole is the next easiest bet to bring.
7. "You need help with that?"
Jan/Flickr
We Kansans are helpers at heart. We like to offer ourselves as someone to talk to in times of need, a hand to help you change your tire or jump your car, or just help you with your groceries.
8. "Can you just use your turn signal?"
Thomanication/Flickr
Living in Kansas means we get a lot of drivers from other states, but it's a tie between out-of-state drivers and locals that forget about the special tool that lets other drivers read your mind. It's magical, but we hope someday people just learn how to use it already.
9. "I don't remember a time when there wasn't any road construction here."
r. nial bradshaw/Flickr
As a friend of mine once said, "There's 5 seasons in Kansas, Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, and Construction." I haven't seen anything to prove them wrong!
10. "I heard there's a storm headed this way."
Patrick Emerson/Flickr
Of course you did. Everyone's heard it. Nothing travels faster in Kansas than news of bad weather incoming.
11. "Is there anything more beautiful than that?"
Patrick Emerson/Flickr
Of course, we're talking about any of our beautiful scenery or our Kansas sunsets that will take your breath away.

For those of us who have left and come back, here’s a fun list of things that will probably happen upon your return to the Sunflower State.

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