1. Jersey is tolerant. As a Muslim Arab, I’ve had issues in the deep red South — that’s putting it mildly. Up here, however, diversity, acceptance and inclusion are a way of life. No one cares where I came from (Damascus, Syria by the way, if you haven’t read my previous “coming to N.J.” stories). No one is pointing fingers and asking me if I was a terrorist, which happened more than 50 times in my three decades in Alabama...

...2. Jersey is diverse. The beautiful tapestry of humanity translates here in all avenues of culture including music, arts, food, customs, fashion and social and popular institutions; and acceptance of this diverse culture in the norm. When it’s cold, (I thought Alabama was cold!), I wear the Arabic turban as a scarf, which elicits no reaction here...

...4. Jersey is beautiful. In a couple of hours or less, you may cross the Garden State, from the beach — sorry, the Shore — to the mountains with everything in between. The variety of landscapes between the cosmopolitan, more city-like North Jersey and the farmlands of South Jersey — and the suburban splendor of something called Central Jersey — is just lovely...

...7. Jersey is an international food hub. I’ve been blown away by the variety of cuisines spanning the state; every town might as well be the food court at the United Nations. Paterson is a good example. I implore you to read my in-depth story about that international food mecca here. The beauty of it all is that food lovingly connects people, and this world with all its problems needs more loving connections...

...9. Jersey is locked in a hilarious civil war...

...10. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Jersey has an untouchable quality. Beyond the acceptance, diversity, culture, pride, weather and all the other definable attributes of my new home, the Garden State has something I can’t put my finger on, an essence that is just there, like the wind, always surrounding me — and all of us — without announcing the source. There is an elusive characteristic to New Jersey, something I’m still trying to understand. If you have any idea what it is — and it’s not the smell around Exit 13 on the Turnpike — please let me know...