I was raised in Pennsylvania for most of my life. So when I decided to go to a university in Virginia I was expecting things to be different. The people would be different, the food, maybe even the culture in general. This was not what I discovered, but what I did realize was both funny and interesting. Living in Virginia for the past three years has taught me many things. Here are seven of them:

1. Nova does not mean Villanova.

Freshman year I heard the term "Nova" over and over again, and I did not understand why. Yes, Villanova is a great school in Pennsylvania, but I did not understand why so many people from Virginia loved the school. One day I had to ask, so I asked my friends what their fascination with Villanova was. They laughed and explained that Nova was short for Northern Virginia. I shouldn't have asked the question because then I received a speech from all of them why Northern Virginia is so great. It took a while, but now I have the history of why "Nova" is so special.

2. "Ya'll" will be absorbed into your vocabulary.

When I first moved into my dorm freshman year I kept hearing people saying this term. I just laughed because it just seemed so funny to me at the time. "How y'all doing today" seemed like such a southern thing to say, and I just got a kick out of it. Low and behold, when you hear it over and over again, you start to say it yourself. I did not think it would be possible, but now I use the term "y'all" with my friends back in Pennsylvania and they think it is just as weird as I did three years ago.

3. Nova should be its own state.

I do not necessarily agree with this, but enough of my friends from Nova agreed with it that I had to include it. People from Northern Virginia divide Virginia into two parts. There is Northern Virginia, and then there's the rest of Virginia, basically telling me that they really consider themselves different from the rest of Virginia. My roommate consistently told me Sophomore year that Nova would be its own state some day. I cannot make this stuff up.

4. D.C. Sports fans are passionate.

Being from Philadelphia, I am a fan of most things Philly. I love the Sixers, Eagles, and Flyers, and I know enough about the Phillies to be in a discussion about them. When I came to school in Virginia i quickly realized that D.C. sports fans love their players and their city. I learned what HTTR was pretty quickly, although they did not say it that often because the Redskins seemed to lose more games than win. I also learned that John Wall is the savior of basketball. If I had a dollar for every time someone told me how good he was, I think I would be able to pay my way through college.

5. Never trust the weather man!.

When I came to Virginia I was expecting to be getting nicer weather, which was true most of the time. However, what I did not realize was that Virginia weather really is like no other. Only in Virginia is it possible to witness three or more seasons of the year in one day. One day it hailed on a 75 degree day. I kid you not, the weather in Virginia is so bipolar it is not funny.

6. Everyone is a Nationals fan, but used to be Orioles fans.

My father is from Baltimore so I grew up an Orioles fan. Coming to Virginia, this excited me because I thought I'd be amongst people that loved the Orioles too. I was surprised to find that most everyone is a Nationals fan. Apparently when the Nationals became a team everyone jumped off the Orioles bandwagon and joined the Nationals. I can't say I blame them because why wouldn't you root for the team closest to you but it still made me sad. However if the Orioles are on TV, most people will root for them, as long as they aren't playing the Nationals.

7. Virginia is the best state in the U.S.

Rarely can you ask someone in Virginia their favorite state and they will answer with anything other than "Virginia, duh." The people of Virginia are so proud of their state and there is no arguing with them because they back it up. It is a very historical state, beautiful scenery, great cities such as Washington D.C. and Richmond, and "great sports teams". But that is not everything that defines them. They are defined by their weather, Northern Virginia, their funny vocabulary, and anything else people from Virginia can claim as their own. Virginia is a great state, and I'm glad I got to experience some of it!