southern living

I've been stereotyped over many things: being a cheerleader, not having the highest SAT score, driving a Mustang, being in a committed relationship and many, many more. But the one stereotype that I think I get the most is being from the south.

I'm expected to be a southern belle, as well as a sweet tea drinking, grits eating, collard loving, southerner. But I'm not. I hate sweet tea, grits, collards, and pretty much anything green that grows in those crazy gardens people love so much. But why is it when I tell people I don't like those things I get called a Yankee or a disgrace to the south? Not all people, regardless of where they are from, like the same things. So why yell at me if I'm not a sweet tea drinker?

I get this the most when I'm at work. Apparently, people that like drinking sweet tea are very picky over that tea. When I'm asked, "Is your sweet tea good?," I like to be honest. I respond with, "I really can't answer that because I don't like tea." That's when I get the, "Well you must not be from here." Guess what. I was born and raised in North Carolina and don't know anything different. And just because I don't speak incredibly slow and with a southern drawl, doesn't mean from I'm from another country.

Many times I have been told that I don't have a southern accent so there is no way that I'm from the south. People from the south say that I must be from the north and those from the north think that I from another country. Why can no one accept the fact that my family and I are from North Carolina? The heart of North Carolina. I probably will never understand.

But why should my location of birth and where I grew up relate to what I like and don't like. I didn't choose to be born in North Carolina. I didn't choose to not like grits and collards. And I didn't choose to not have a southern accent. My entire family are all these things, but not me. Sorry, I guess I'm just your true southerner.

I love where I've grown up. I love North Carolina and don't think I can really see myself living elsewhere for any extended period of time. But I also love New York City. I'm a small town girl who loves the big city life. But I know that I wouldn't love it forever. If I could live in New York City, I would only want to do it for a small amount of time. Maybe one day, instead of being told that I must be from somewhere other than I am, that I will just be me and it won't matter where I am from or where I live.