When I left my small suburban town of Cranford, New Jersey, to come to college in the huge city of Boston, Massachusetts, I didn’t realize how deeply rooted my Jersey pride actually is. It was a big culture shock for me to come from predominantly white suburbs to a culturally diverse city. But that doesn’t mean I have forgotten about my home. Once a Jersey girl, always a Jersey girl.

When I came to Simmons College, I found that most people up here come from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, or even Connecticut. When I told people I was from New Jersey, they all looked at me surprised. I don’t have a noticeable Jersey accent (though I’ve been told that I do pronounce some words differently), but it seems like a lot of people up here have some stereotypes surrounding my lovely home state. I’m here to eradicate them.

First of all, New Jersey is the best state out there, let’s just set that straight. But before I came to college, I didn’t really care much for it. I used to think, “Yeah, whatever, I’m from New Jersey, everyone here is, we’re all used to it.” And I knew for a fact that I needed to move away for college. It was a must for me to get out of state. Now that I’m away from home, though, I realize how much I actually love where I come from and how different my new environment is.

I think what most non-Jerseyans think of when they think of Jersey is the infamous show "Jersey Shore" that gives the entire state a terrible reputation. Let me put it out there that Snooki and Pauly D do not help Jersey’s rep in the slightest. Believe it or not, most of the cast from that show were actually from Staten Island (New York), not New Jersey. That being said, I think some people assume we all say “Joisey” all the time, which is far from the truth. Actually, I don’t think anyone has ever said it, except maybe Buddy from "Cake Boss," but he’s from Hoboken, and everyone talks like that there.

But there are a lot of things in and about New Jersey that I’m shocked are not common up here in New England. First of all, diners. Apparently, and to my surprise, having at least two diners in a town is not common up here. How are people up here supposed to get breakfast 24/7?! And for some reason, Taylor Ham (or Pork Roll depending on where you come from in New Jersey) is a completely foreign breakfast food up here. I asked a friend once if she knew what Taylor Ham was, and the look on her face of confusion and shock almost offended me. In New Jersey, it is a given that basically every weekend, you go to your local bagel place or diner and order a Taylor Ham, egg, and cheese sandwich on a roll. Diners are so normal around where I come from that the fact that people up here don’t have that one diner that they’re completely loyal to blows my mind.

Also, pizza. When I came up here and people were saying that Dominos is the greatest pizza ever, I was astounded. They don't know pizza. That’s not to say I have anything against Dominos, but real New Jersey pizza is one of my most prized possessions of my home state. My town alone has six -- I repeat, six -- family-owned pizza places (not including the small obsolete Dominos that everyone ignores), and the one that I’m loyal to makes the best pizza I’ve ever had in my life.

What I get the most crap for up here in New England is saying I go “down the shore,” which, if you don’t know, means going to the beach. For some reason, that phrasing is amusing to people up here, but to me, it’s just what I’ve always said, and it’s what everyone in Jersey says. And our beaches in New Jersey are actually the best. Depending on where you live, it will take less than an hour to get to one. Plus, if you’re from New Jersey you’ve been to Jenkinson’s Boardwalk on Point Pleasant Beach at least once in your lifetime, and no other boardwalks are able to compare to the rides, arcades, and the enormous amount of Kohr’s Frozen Custard stands.

In New Jersey, we don’t have to pump our own gas, which is great while you’re there. All you need to do is sit in your car and someone at the gas station will do it for you. But once you get out of state, the thought of pumping your own gas is slightly terrifying. I myself don’t even know how to do it. On the topic of cars and driving, New Jersey drivers basically suck, but honestly, the ones in Boston aren’t much better. There is actually a thing called the "Jersey Slide," where you cross over at least four lanes on the highway to catch the exit that you almost missed. It's ridiculous. So yes, the stereotype that New Jersey drivers are pretty terrible is true, but we don’t like to admit it. I think I’m an excellent driver.

I could go on with a hundred more reasons why New Jersey is a great state to live in, and why I have so much Jersey pride. Even though Boston is so incredibly different from my little hometown of Cranford, New Jersey, I still think about where I come from every day.

Once a Jersey girl, always a Jersey girl.