Growing up, I had two places I called home: Georgia and Illinois. Georgia was where I was born, and it is all I have ever known. It is where I learned to drive a car. It is where I had my first kiss, and it is where I learned that making sweet tea is an art. However, the rest of my family lives in the Midwest. We took so many trips a year to visit family and friends that some of my greatest memories are from the North. But, when people ask me where I am from, I never know what to say. Am I from the South? Am I from the North? Is this a normal problem to have?
“Hello, it is nice to meet you. I was born in the South, but raised in the North -- it is really complicated.”
The South is great. There are BBQs, tailgates, football parties and trips to Lake Lanier. Soaking up the sun and driving around to country seemed to be the thing to do. The Atlanta Braves are the only baseball team you should support and every year we say, “The Falcons will get ‘em next year.” It is great, right?
There is one problem with all of this. The South, to me, is not my home. I am not a Braves fan, I could care less about the Falcons, I can’t stand country music and I have eaten so much BBQ that now I hate it.
When I think of home, I think of seeing Chicago Cubs fans walking down the streets of downtown Chicago. I think of Chelsea Dagger blasting from cars as the city gets pumped up for a Blackhawks game. When I think of home, I think of my cousins and playing go fish or coloring outside of the lines in my grandmother’s basement.
Being born and raised in one state does not mean it is your home. For me, my home is the Midwest where the accents are flatter, deep fried cheese curds are the norm, and Pepsi products reign. I love the South so much because it is where I grew up. Sadly, it is not where my heart is. They say “home is where the heart is,” and mine is definitely not in the South.
Now, you may think this is ridiculous, but hear me out. You may enjoy your BBQ and country music, and that is great. That doesn’t mean everyone else should. You may like your Braves and your southern traditions but that doesn’t mean I have to. I do respect those traditions, however, because those traditions are what makes this place your home.
Just like I will respect your lake trips and country music, I ask that you respect my dilemma of being stuck in the south when my heart is up north. I may be in a town full of country music, but I will blast my 80s music and I will always tell you statistics of my Chicago teams. You may think it is crazy that I fully enjoy an ice cold Pepsi over a Coca-Cola or I enjoy hockey over football, but this is what makes me feel closer to home.
Oh, Chicago, how I love thee. You are always there for me when I need a vacation and you never cease to amaze me at how close you bring everyone together. Yeah, the Chicago Cubs didn’t win the World Series in 2016. Yeah, I know the Chicago Bulls haven’t won an NBA Final since Michael Jordan. I know that the Chicago Bears may not be doing that great right now, but their fans are always supportive. Finally, I know that the Chicago Blackhawks are going to continue to win the Stanley Cup in the future because their teamwork is phenomenal. Oh, Chicago, how I will always love thee.
"Hello, it’s nice to meet you. I was born in the south and raised in the north. It isn’t complicated at all, it is who I am. Wanna know how the Cubs are doing?”
