Northern Virginia has a love hate relationship with anyone and everyone who lives here. For us who grew up here seeing four Chick Fil A's in a five mile radius is normal. It's a place where going 10 miles over the actual speed limit is the speed limit. It's a place where you are bound to see at least one person you know if you visit any of the local Starbucks.
Here's 10 signs you know you've grown up in NoVa:
1. Traffic
Traffic on every major road all the time. Leaving your house to go anywhere on route 7 after 5 p.m.? Good luck because you are going no where.
2. The slang words that no one outside of NoVa understands.
We all understand "I'm hip," "true," "bet," "geekin'," We use these words on a daily basis. But, if you go anywhere else and try to say this people will stare and think "what is this person saying to me right now?" I know you are shaking your head yes right now because this has happened to you.
3. Your Instagram features pictures of Georgetown, Great Falls, and concerts at Jiffy Lube Live.
It exists we know.. Everyone has been to these places time after time, but we all some how continue to go and try to take "artsy" pictures every time.
4. A chance or sight of a snowflake means schools cancelled.
What exactly is a snow day? From the endless #CLOSELCPS and #CLOSEFCPS we have ended up with many days off and found our way onto the Ellen Show. Mid Terms? I totally forgot about those since they have gotten cancelled the last three years due to "snow" Yet, for some reason LCPS still can't call snow days when they actually need to be called January 5, 2015 for example if you live in LCPS you will remember that day for the rest of your life.
5. Every school year you had a field trip to D.C.
Oh the natural history museum, yeah I've been there about five times one for every year of elementary school.
7. The joy of SOL's
Worst two weeks of the school year, mostly because the Wifi gets really slow. How else are you supposed to watch Netflix during Flex?
8. Your biggest struggle is CFA being closed on Sundays.
Everyone has had that Sunday where they wake up and think I could really go for some chicken mini's right now. But, then remember that it's Sunday which means it's the only day you extremely craze CFA because it's closed.
9. The worst decision of having to choose which mall to go to.
When you have three choices its hard to make the decision. Yes, Dulles may be the closest but Tysons has an Urban, and Fair Oaks has the huge Forever 21...
10. You always say you can't wait to leave, but will always find a way back.
The number one thought about graduating High School is finally finding a way out of NoVa. You look at all the typical colleges VT, JMU, and UVA, thinking of the day you will finally leave!
No matter what you will always love NoVa. Mostly because, why would you want to grow up anywhere else?