How I Learned To Love Virginia
Start writing a post
Politics and Activism

How I Learned To Love Virginia

Virginia wasn’t a place I was stuck living in -- it was an integral part of my life.

14
How I Learned To Love Virginia
Pixabay

I want to name my first daughter Virginia. Of course there are major things missing in my life to make that happen, like a husband and the will to even have a child, but eventually, my daughter will be named after the state I love.

I’ve lived in one town in one state my entire life, and I’ve spent most of that life wishing to get out of it. When I was growing up, Virginia wasn’t sexy enough for me. I wanted to grow up in California and be perpetually tan and blonde. I wanted to live in Colorado and be a cool professional snowboarder. I wanted to grow up in New York and be a true local in New York City. I wanted the big cities with the newest trends and cultured city boys with tattoos and stories from all the other cities they had lived in. I wanted anything that was different that ordinary old Virginia.

Most states are known for something. You know, everything is bigger in Texas, Florida is a place to retire, Oregon is a land of hipsters and Massachusetts’ state religion is Tom Brady. But Virginia? You see, we’re sort of in an identity crisis. People from the north think Virginia is part of the south, and people from the south think Virginia is part of the north, and people from Virginia don’t really know what we’re part of at all.

There are parts of Virginia that are like the north. For example, once you’ve passed Fredericksburg, you’ll hit the worst city traffic of your entire life. Country twangs fade away and you enter the land of NoVa. Northern Virginia, not Villa Nova. The hustle and bustle, the 9-to-5, and the politically opinionated. The unusually long commute in Northern Virginia feels nothing like the infamously slow-paced South.

But, my friend, there are also parts of Virginia that are like the south. Head the other way down I-95 and you’ll hit the state’s capital, Richmond. I’ve been to hundreds of cities in my cultured 22 years, and Richmond is still one of my favorites. People say hello to each other as you pass instead of avoiding eye contact. Big buildings fade into small streets of beautifully unique homes. Take I-81 out west and Virginia really starts to show its stuff. Hills give way to vast landscapes of open land sprinkled with little farms. The number of country twangs go up while the number of teeth goes down. Camouflage becomes the new state flag and hunting is a daily activity.

I remember exactly when my opinion changed of Virginia. My roommate, who is from Massachusetts, was driving and commented on how big the hills were in Virginia and how they were unlike any other state. I looked out the window and tried to see Virginia in her eyes. I had been spoiled. I was used to the rolling hills of Virginia. I was used to the crisp smell of leaves burning as you drive through a winding fall road of orange, red and yellow trees. I had looked over the snowy winter that somehow always gives way to a bright green spring. I even took advantage of those terrible white petal trees that smell absolutely awful. And even the painfully humid summers that feel like you’re breathing with a wet towel over your face. Because if you wait until about 8 p.m., the humidity fades as lightning bugs take its place, illuminating the cold honeysuckles you pick as the heavy air dissipates around you.

I realized Virginia wasn’t a place I was stuck living in -- it was an integral part of my life. The balance of slow and fast, the line between north and south, progressive and old fashioned, country and city -- that’s all part of who I am. I love walking fast and the hustle of a city. I also love the feeling of driving slow on a back road with the windows down (which sounds like a beginning of a bad country song.) I love trendy bars and bougie parties. But I also love drinking a beer in front of a bonfire to the tune of cicadas singing.

I had it all wrong. Virginia, with its traffic and confederate flags that somehow still fly, was the best place I could have grown up.

So Virginia, if you ever read this, just know you’re named after my favorite place. A place that has let me see nature’s beauty and meet just as many equally beautiful people. I’ve been all around the world, and no matter what, I’ll want to come back to Virginia at the end of the day. The state slogan is “Virginia is for Lovers,” which my daughter will have going for her. Which I’ll probably regret once she starts to interact with immature boys, but that's another story for another time.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

58221
college students waiting in a long line in the hallway
StableDiffusion

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Keep Reading...Show less
a man and a woman sitting on the beach in front of the sunset

Whether you met your new love interest online, through mutual friends, or another way entirely, you'll definitely want to know what you're getting into. I mean, really, what's the point in entering a relationship with someone if you don't know whether or not you're compatible on a very basic level?

Consider these 21 questions to ask in the talking stage when getting to know that new guy or girl you just started talking to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Challah vs. Easter Bread: A Delicious Dilemma

Is there really such a difference in Challah bread or Easter Bread?

37506
loaves of challah and easter bread stacked up aside each other, an abundance of food in baskets
StableDiffusion

Ever since I could remember, it was a treat to receive Easter Bread made by my grandmother. We would only have it once a year and the wait was excruciating. Now that my grandmother has gotten older, she has stopped baking a lot of her recipes that require a lot of hand usage--her traditional Italian baking means no machines. So for the past few years, I have missed enjoying my Easter Bread.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

Unlocking Lake People's Secrets: 15 Must-Knows!

There's no other place you'd rather be in the summer.

959139
Group of joyful friends sitting in a boat
Haley Harvey

The people that spend their summers at the lake are a unique group of people.

Whether you grew up going to the lake, have only recently started going, or have only been once or twice, you know it takes a certain kind of person to be a lake person. To the long-time lake people, the lake holds a special place in your heart, no matter how dirty the water may look.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 10 Reasons My School Rocks!

Why I Chose a Small School Over a Big University.

193050
man in black long sleeve shirt and black pants walking on white concrete pathway

I was asked so many times why I wanted to go to a small school when a big university is so much better. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a big university is great but I absolutely love going to a small school. I know that I miss out on big sporting events and having people actually know where it is. I can't even count how many times I've been asked where it is and I know they won't know so I just say "somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin." But, I get to know most people at my school and I know my professors very well. Not to mention, being able to walk to the other side of campus in 5 minutes at a casual walking pace. I am so happy I made the decision to go to school where I did. I love my school and these are just a few reasons why.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments