Southern: Born and Raised

          
          I'm a southerner. Born and Raised. There is no possible way that I can deny it, especially living and going to school in the Midwest. Sometimes, I feel like I just stick out like a sore thumb. But surprisingly it doesn't bother me. I love the fact that I am from the south, I even surprisingly love it when my friends make fun of that fact. It's a huge part of me.

          I grew up in a small town in the foothills of the upstate of South Carolina. I could not have asked for a better place to grow up. Greenville is the type of town where downtown consists of a one mile stretch of main street, the park connected my neighborhood to downtown, and no matter where you go in town you always ran into someone that you know without fail. It is the kind of place where winters are mild and summers are blazing. Summer seems to start in April, and the flowers begin to bloom in February. If you walk downtown on a sunny Sunday afternoon, downtown will be packed with people walking their dogs, families having picnics in the park, and kids flying kites in the park. Walking around town, everyone is smiling and says hello. If you are lucky enough you might even hear some store owners say "y'all come back now ya hear." As you drive around town you can see old buildings and the old southern style houses, that families have lived in for decades. Greenville is not a large town at all, only about 60,000 people live in the metropolitan area (I wouldn't even really call it a metropolitan area). It the kind of town where everything is close to one another. Greenville is my home, and I wouldn't want it any other way.

Greenville!!

          I'm a southerner. I grew up saying "Yes ma'am" and "Yes sir". Every adult was referred to as "Mister" and "Miss" and they still are to this day. I consider myself a southern prep, as would probably all my roommates. I didn't realize how bad it was until the other night before going to bed I was looking through my closet and asked myself out loud "How prep do I want to dress tomorrow?" If it was possible my whole wardrobe would probably consist of  J. Crew or Anthropologie. Y'all is part of my regular vocabulary. Some say I have a slight southern accent. I am a strong believer that pearls can be worn with almost any outfit. I can't go back home without getting a sweet tea. I love fried green tomatoes, fried okra, and peach cobbler. My favorite food is good southern shrimp and grits. (If you haven't had them the best place is the Homily Grill in Charleston, SC if you ever happen to be in the area). I grew up spending my summer day eating Honey Suckles and spent the evenings catching fireflies.  I catch myself calling people hun. I grew up drinking Cheerwine, although I was never a fan of moonpies. I am always excited to see snow, since it was rare to get any back home. And no matter how old I am, my parents will always be "momma" and "daddy," never just mom and dad.

         No matter how much my friends mess with me for my southern accent or my "crazy" southern traditions, I wouldn't have grown up any other way. And no matter where life takes me, I will always be a southerner at heart.