Who we are. What we do. Why we do it.

Hello,

My name is Mike Hearne. I am the creator of @thisisoklahoma and here is a short story about who I am, what I do and why I do it.

WHO AM I?

I am not from Oklahoma, I was not born here but now I feel like I belong here. Oklahoma is my home. Don’t tell my mum, she hates hearing that. I’ve been here since August 17th 2011 and I came here to play golf at Southern Nazarene University in Bethany.

I’m from a small country in the U.K called Wales. Fun facts about Wales, there are more sheep than people by a count of 3 to 1. There’s three million people in Wales. You do the math. There’s mountains everywhere. If you like cool pictures check out @discovercymru on instagram. Our national sport is rugby and it’s basically American football without pads or helmets. A mans game that I do not play.

So, I’m Welsh. I have been here just over six and a bit years and I graduated with a degree in marketing from SNU. I married my beautiful wife Taryn in February 2016 and I’m now a resident in the US.

WHAT DO I DO?

I am a realtor, I have been in the real estate business since August 2015. I got into the real estate because I like to help people. I’m not a big fan of normal office hours so for me real estate was a perfect fit.

WHY DID I CREATE THIS IS OKLAHOMA?

I decided to create this community @thisisoklahoma to share the beauty of Oklahoma and the people that live here. People who have stories just like mine. Oklahoma has so much to offer and my goal is to share that to the rest of the world. Through written, video, photo and podcast form. However you feel comfortable you can share your story by sending me a message on any of our social media platforms or emailing me at thisisoklahomamedia@gmail.com

Oklahoma and it’s people have been so good to me and I feel like the best way to give back would be to share the stories Oklahoma has to offer.

MY FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY

When I came to Bethany Oklahoma for the first time in 2011. My Dad came with me to get me all settled in and make sure I was taken care of. I’d never visited the US before and had no idea where Oklahoma was until Googled it.

One of our first nights here we went to Ann’s Chicken Fry on Route 66. Sat there in the booth looking at the menu thinking “is chicken fried steak chicken or steak?” A lady next to us overheard our accents and started up a conversation. I think there was a football game on because her entire table was in America’s brightest Orange. (Go Pokes)

As soon as she found out that Dad was leaving in two days and that I would be left alone 4000 miles from home. She insisted on making sure I had someone to take care of me. She gave me her number, address and told me to contact her if I needed anything. Now just so you have some context. This does not happen in Wales. People couldn’t care if you were from somewhere different. This lady wanted to make sure I was safe and looked after just from hearing my Dad was leaving soon.

This has always stuck with me since I’ve been here. The kindness and generosity of Oklahoman’s is hard to compete with. Everyone here is so welcoming and nice.

SUMMARY

So, the reason for starting @thisisoklahoma is to share the stories of people who live here. I was made to feel like I belong here by many Oklahoman’s and I plan on spending the rest of my life here with my family. No kids yet but we have a 7 month old golden doodle called Seve. She’s a handful!

By utilizing social media we can bring those stories to light and show the world what Oklahoma really is.

If you have a story to tell, photos, videos to share. Please reach out to me on social media @thisisoklahoma or email me at thisisoklahomamedia@gmail.com I look forward to hearing from you.

Thank You.

Mike