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Dounglomchan: I'm alright, nobody worry about me

I’ve heard Clovis jokingly referred to as “Clovistan,” in a mock comparison to Afghanistan.

I’ve lived in both places, and while they share terrain and climate similarities, I think there’re a few more bars in Afghanistan.

In my two years of living here, I’ve met a wide range of people with varying levels of enthusiasm for Clovis.

Kitsana Dounglomchan

On one end are the people who enjoy Clovis. They like the schools, small town, and family-oriented environment.

And on the other end are the people who hate Clovis. At times, this feels like the majority, but a vocal minority seems larger than it is, and I don’t think this sentiment captures the overall public opinion.

I reason most of us are somewhere in the middle. I’ll even go a step further: I think most of us don’t mind being stationed here.

Because whenever I ask people what they think about Clovis, most of them respond with, “It’s not that bad.”

Think about it. When you ask this question, or answer it yourself, what’s the typical response? It’s probably something close to, “It’s not that bad.”

But what are we conveying when we respond this way? Without even realizing or intending it, we’re actually adding a negative connotation.

For instance, if I cooked dinner for my wife and asked her what she thought about it and she said, “It’s not that bad,” I’d think she disliked it.

The same thing applies to whenever we use this response to convey our thoughts about Clovis.

I don’t think we intend the negative connotation, but we use it because of the horror stories we’re told before moving to “Clovistan,” most of them coming from people who’ve never been stationed here.

But after living in Clovis a few months, we realize those stories were blown way out of proportion and that the community treats us well.

I’ve lost count as to how many times my meals at local restaurants have been paid for by anonymous strangers.

So I’ve made a subtle change in how I respond to the question about living in Clovis. I now respond with “It’s alright” because it accurately expresses my sentiment without the negative connotation.

Used in a fictional conversation it sounds like this:

Kim Jong-un was at a round table meeting with 12 of his highest-ranking generals. Before adjourning the meeting, he looked over to one of the generals and asked, “So, what did you think about ‘The Interview?’”

“To tell the truth,” the general responded, “it was alright.”

You see? No negative connotation. I’m not trying to change your opinion about Clovis. If you don’t like living here, it’s your right to express that. I’m targeting this change in verbiage at those people that don’t mind being stationed here.

Because let’s face it, living in Clovis is not that — oh, sorry. What I meant to say is living in Clovis is alright.

Kitsana Dounglomchan, a 12-year Air Force veteran, writes about his life and times for Clovis Media Inc. Contact him at:

[email protected]