I’m a southern belle at heart. I hold the door open for the elderly, I say “yes ma’am” and “no sir,” I consider grits to be a staple cuisine, and I religiously follow the SEC.
Most of my family lives in Southern Alabama near the coast. Their accents are thicker than mine, and their passion for football and the GOP run in places I dare not go. When my parents were in their early twenties they decided to spread their wings and move out of the great state of Alabama. And this is where my story starts:
I have lived in five states: Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, and Texas. After leaving Texas to go to school at Agnes Scott College (which happens to be in Georgia for all you out of state readers) my parents packed up and hit the road for the Country music capital of the worldㅡ Nashville, Tennessee. Apparently, our love for these southern states never died. Needless to say, I’m Southern born and bred.
But when someone asks, “Where are you from?” I’m always a little hesitant to reply. If I say “Texas,” it’s a lie. I have the cowboy boots and an undying love for Whataburger and the Spurs, but when I am in Texas I am still a foreigner. My high school friends fondly called me “farmer girl” or “hillbilly” when I went to school in Texas. They were referring to my place of origin in North Carolina.
But I still wouldn’t say I’m from North Carolina.
I spent a good part of my impressionable years there. I learned to have a special appreciation for bluegrass and Carolina BBQ. Yet, I still couldn’t find my place there. I wasn’t a native, therefore I would never be treated the same way as the people who had been there for generations.
I think this has to do a little bit with my decision to go to Agnes Scott. Atlanta is, in my opinion, is the capital of the south. The people here are kind and unique in a way that makes you feel accepted. A southern girl can walk in her cowboy boots and sundress one day, and her flannel and shitkickers the next. No one really cares about your accent, only your attitude. You’re accepted for who you are, and that’s why I truly feel at home here.
I guess the next time someone asks, “Where are you from” I should tell them honestly:
Atlanta,
San Antonio,
North Carolina.
Thumbnail image from maploco.com.