I always thought "Home is where the heart is" was just a cliché statement. It was not until I moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, that I learned how true it is, though. I am from a small, rural community in eastern North Carolina. We are miles from the nearest mall or movie theater. In a way, time stands still in our small community. It’s quiet and peaceful. When I was in high school, all I wanted to do was to get out. I wanted to see the world and to go on adventures. I was so excited when I was accepted to Meredith College, my number one choice. I couldn’t wait to get to Raleigh! There were parties to go to, games to attend, tailgates and more people to socialize with. But as I’ve grown and started on my journey to figure out who I really am, I have been feeling a call to go home.
Raleigh is amazing, do not get me wrong. But as I’ve matured, I’ve realized that eastern North Carolina has molded who I am. And as I sit in my apartment, all I really want to do is go home to the people and the place that has made me who I am.
In eastern North Carolina, we have a different way of doing things. We are an original and unique breed of folks. And no matter how much you try, eastern North Carolina stays with you in your memories and you always end up missing a few things about home.
1. The smell of peanuts being tilled in the field.
There is absolutely no better smell than the smell of freshly dug peanuts. The wind will carry the scent throughout the county and people will just sit on their front porches just to smell it. You can actually see the dirt hovering in the air like fog. It is a symbol of home and of the new harvest that everyone from the country can relate to.
2. Back roads.
There is nothing like driving down a back road blaring your favorite music on the radio with the windows down. Gravel and dirt roads are my favorite.
3. Southern snow and leaves of gold.
Eastern North Carolina during the fall is already beautiful, but looking out over the seas of white cotton is one of the most amazing views I have ever seen. Rows and rows, and fields upon fields of cotton. When the farmers start bringing in the cotton, it floats everywhere. Cotton lands all along the roadsides and the ditches. And even though you don’t see it as much as you use too, there’s the tobacco plant. During July and August, you can see long rows of green tobacco plants, later in the summer and early fall, those plant leaves during a golden color. People my age don’t work in tobacco as much as they use too, but just ask our parents about working in tobacco and they all have stories to tell!
4. Everything is flat.
Don’t get me wrong, the rolling hills of the Piedmont are beautiful, but I prefer the flat lands of the coastal plains. One day on the way to the beach, take a side trip through Washington and Beaufort counties, near Plymouth and Terra Ceia. On these back roads there are fields that go on for miles and miles as far as the eyes can see. And it is completely flat.
5. The stars on a brisk fall night.
In Raleigh I cannot ever see the stars like I can at home. The air is always so clear and sometimes it feels like you can reach out and touch them they are so close.
6. Sunday dinner.
Nobody makes a better Sunday dinner than my mama. She fries chicken like it’s nobody’s business. At home I always love that throughout the community, there is always a sense of fellowship on Sunday, whether it’s at church with the congregation or at home with your family and loved ones.
7. Hunting season.
Hunting season is the time where men and women alike dress head to toe in camouflage and cover themselves in deer urine in hopes of bagging a big buck to hang on the wall. If everyone’s family is like mine, we eat every deer we kill. If we do not keep the meat, we give it to elderly neighbors and family who cannot go hunting anymore. Now there are hidden rules to this rite of passage that most of us go through. These rules are passed down by word of mouth. The number one rule is if his head and antlers can fit into a five gallon bucket, for heaven's sake, let it go. It’s just a baby!
8. Friendly neighbors.
When you're riding down the road, it's pure rude to not wave at your neighbor mowing his lawn or to the cat passing you. Everybody knows everybody. More than likely, they even know your middle name. I never knew my Daddy's middle name until I heard an elderly lady at the local Piggly Wiggly refer to him as Stephen Brent when I was 5 years old. I never knew he had a name that wasn't Daddy.
9. Southern charm.
There's a sense of southern charm in eastern North Carolina. Sweet old ladies sweep their porches while little old men chew tobacco and talk about the weather at the local grill (or Bojangles.)
10. Speaking of Bojangles, do you know what a "Cheddar Bo" is? Let's just talk a minute about the food.
In Eastern North Carolina, we have chopped barbecue. I never realized how much better our barbecue was until I tried other regions. Nothing goes better with our barbecue than Brunswick stew. We make huge pots of it. Churches and schools make it to sell for fundraisers because we covet this stuff so much. Now I know other regions make Brunswick stew and everyone does it just a little different. But nothing says home to me more than barbecue and Brunswick stew. And nothing is better than a mayonnaise cake, but that one just be a Martin County thing. From barbecue to a good cheesy Bojangles’ Cheddar Bo biscuit, the food is always better east of Raleigh.
11. Family.
When you live in a small, rural community in eastern North Carolina, you're probably related to almost everyone in your town. Before dating someone new, you must check with your parents or grandparents in advance just to make sure you aren’t related. My rule of thumb is if he is from my county, we may be related and that would be just weird and gross. It doesn’t hurt to check our genealogy first.
Family in eastern North Carolina feels different to me than anywhere else. Family can be your blood relation or your childhood best friend. Family is the people that may be crazy, but would jump in front of a train for you. These people may drive you insane at some points in your life, but at the end of the day, you love them because you know they are always the ones who have your back.
