When people ask me where I’m from, I often hesitate. I don’t know how they want me to answer. Do I say where I was born? Or where I lived the longest? Or my favorite place? Or where I spent most of my childhood? Or from where I graduated? It could be any one of those things, and each of those things (practically each, anyway) has a different answer. I moved around a lot.
For what it’s worth, I have two homes — north Georgia and Denver, Colorado. I have never felt so at home and perfectly happy in my surroundings as I did when I went to college at UGA. My theory is that my ancestors lived in that area, so northeast Georgia is “in my blood.” On the other hand, I really have to say that nothing takes me back and makes me relive my childhood like going to the place where I spent most of it — Denver. And I am finding myself feeling a bit homesick for that place.
Of all things, it was a re-run of South Park’s Casa Bonita episode that did it. I remember going to that place when I was a kid. I remember the cliff divers. We always used to buy those plastic necklaces that glow in the dark. The restaurant is like a theme park inside. It’s amazing.
That made me start thinking of the other stuff I miss. Like how you can always tell which direction you’re driving, because the Rockies are to the west. Or the Russian olive trees that seem to be everywhere. Or the prairie dogs that seem to be in every empty field you drive past.
I’m really hoping we can go out there this summer for a visit. My grandparents still live there, and my uncle and cousin live in Colorado Springs.
I was born and raised in Montana, and have lived a lot of places since then, so I also have that same problem of teling people where I'm "from." But, Montana will always be "home" even if other places in my life feel more home to me. A good chunk of my memories have a Montana setting, and I miss it from time to time, and am always proud to say I'm from there, but I have absolutely NO urge to live there again. Although, Montana is one of the places I always want to show friends that haven't been there. I think that area of the US is someplace everyone should visit as it's so drastically different from the east coast or the south.
It's a bit different for me. When people ask me where I'm from, they really want to know what race I am (there aren't a lot of chicanos here so I confuse people). I greatly enjoy giving the name of the town nearby where I grew up and watching them figure out how to ask their question more directly while still appearing non-racist. Eventually I'll let them off the hook, but it's fun to make them squirm. Of course I'm proud of my heritage, but why should that be practically the first thing people ask me about myself?
I've never been to Colorado but I'm sure it's beautiful. I have been to Montana and *know* it's beautiful!
I know exactly what you're saying….I got a registration form for the Bolder Boulder in the mail the other day. I knew I wouldn't be going, and still I didn't want to throw it away….I like how crispy the sky is, its a different kind of blue than here and I swear, there isn't one straight road in MD, so finding my way around without the mountains, well, it's nothing a map in the passenger seat doesn't remedy….
Mark is used to the mountains too. When we were in Atlanta last spring, he looked at me and said, "How do you know which direction is which without the mountains and why are there 900000000000 roads with Peachtree in the name?"
All those Peachtrees are confusing.
Jenni, I knew you, of all the people who stop by here, would totally get it.
Ladies, I haven't been to Montana, either, but I am given to understand the terrain is not all that different from Colorado, and I'd love to go there.
Sylvia, now you have me curious about where you live.