The south isn't just a region, it's a way of life. I've lived here for eighteen years and have loved every second of it, wouldn't change a thing. People take living in the south very seriously and are very proud to tell people where they're from. Since living here, here are a few things I have learned.

1. Sweet Tea

It's everybody's favorite drink down here. If you can't taste the diabetes when you take sip, you need to add more sugar. You can always tell the real tea from the added-sugar tea. While you're brewing the tea, you have to add it the sugar in so it will dissolve and melt and taste amazing. If you wait and add the sugar into a cold glass of tea, you'll get a drink with big clumps of sugar in it, and barely any sweetened tea. A true southerner will be able to tell the difference, trust me.

2. Lightnin' Bugs

You know, those things that fly around and light up the night sky? Some may refer to them as fireflies, but us down south, we call them lightnin' bugs. We'll go out in the middle of the night and try to catch them in jars and bring them back inside to use them as lights and decorations around the house. Kids love it, I know I sure did when I was younger.

3. The Way We Talk

We always get told we have a really thick accent that is sometimes hard to understand. We don't hear it, but that might be because we're so used to hearing it all the time. Y'all is a word. It always has been a word, and it always will be one. We have our little "southernisms" when we talk like "I'm sweating like a hooker in church." and "Happier than a pig in mud." I get made fun of all the time because I use them in my every day speech. We always have our southern hospitality and always use manners like "Yes ma'am, no ma'am. Yes sir, no sir". I know when I was growing up, and still to this day, if I didn't use manners when I spoke, I would get yelled at or back handed. Manners are a big thing in the south, and you ALWAYS respect your elders.

4. The Food

Down south, we're willing to try and fry anything at least once. Some of our favorites include fried chicken, fried Oreos, fried ice cream, and fried Twinkies. We always have collard greens with our dinners and biscuits. Biscuits and gravy and biscuits and honey are two of my favorites, that's for sure. Brunswick stew is always a favorite when it's cold outside.Who doesn't love a home cooked meal made fresh by a relative. Thanksgiving dinner was always heaven around my house, so much food and so little space to put it. You're guaranteed to be in a food coma for a week after you eat it. Oh and let's not forget we have Chick Fil A and Cookout, some of the best fast food we have to offer. Can we take a moment of silence also for the north, because they don't know what a Wawa run is. Especially at 3:00am when you get a random craving and they're the only place open.

5. The Weather

It's usually always hot. That's about it. In the winter, even when we do get snow, it's not enough to stick. If it does though, it's usually melted in a day or two. You can bet ever dollar to your name though that when it snows, schools will be cancelled and every grocery store in the are will be out of stock very quickly. We're a place for beaches and sunshine. The Outer Banks, Myrtle Beach, and Florida beaches are the hot spots in the south during the summer.

6. Football

Football is just another religion for us pretty much. Whether you like professional or college, you're usually always involved and know what's going on. When it's game time, you will usually always see me supporting Virginia Tech or the Pittsburgh Steelers. I'll always support my time not matter how much trash talk they get thrown at them or no matter how many games they win or lose throughout the season. I'll always have my terrible towel out while watching the game, it's good luck.

7. Interesting Historical Sites

Well I'm from Virginia, so there's history everywhere here. There were several wars involving the U.S.A. and just southern states in general. Some awesome historical sites that I would highly recommend you check out if you ever come to Virginia include, but are not limited to, Hollywood Cemetery, the Jamestown and Yorktown settlements, The Pentagon, National Battlefield Park Virginia. A few more would be Mount Vernon. Monticello, Natural Bridge, the Blue Ridge Parkway, Maymont Park, and Luray Caverns. The list goes on and on, but here's a good start for your next adventures around Virginia.

8. Strong Faith

Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins and without him have doing so, we would not have eternal life. In the south we pray before every meal and go to church every Sunday. On every street corner there's a different church, they're everywhere. Almost all of them are Baptist or some other branch of Christianity. Don't get me wrong, there's other denominations around, but Baptist is just the most common. We don't discriminate down here, you live your life and I'll live mine. Having a strong faith makes things possible, not easy. You have to work for and pray for what you believe in this world. God is always with you, he is our biggest supporter and doesn't want to see you suffering. You have to trust him as he not only knows what's best for you, but he will guide you towards a positive outcome in any situation. My favorite Bible verse comes from the book of Proverbs. It's Proverbs 31:25 and it reads "She is clothed in strength and dignity and she laughs without fear of the future." It has such a strong meaning because we know that Satan wants us to fear the future, but we know that in order to be happy in life, we have to just go out and live, not caring what other people think of us.

9. Guns

We literally use our guns for two things, self-defense and hunting. I never understood why the government was trying to take our guns away from us because we're doing nothing wrong. I know one thing for sure, you try to touch my guns, I'll shoot you. Guns are everywhere in the south, accept it and move on.10) Mason Jars

I know this is weird, but I'm obsessed with mason jars. They're good for literally anything. You can use them for storage, decoration, canning vegetables, drinking cups, and cooking. They're my go-to thing in a time of need. If you don't have any, I suggest you get some as soon as possible.

I may sound a little biased because I was born and raised in the south, but I love it so much and highly recommend it to anybody interested in possibly coming to visit it one day. You'll love it. 10/10 rating.