The answer to this question has been hard for me since about 2001. Before that, I could always just say Pennsylvania without really thinking about it. I went to kindergarten though college in PA although I had lived in NJ when I was a toddler and ended up getting married in NJ (but that’s another story).
However by 2001 I had been living in Nashville for three years; so when Susanne and I left Nashville for more grad school in Arizona I think I started to say I was from Tennessee. Susanne and I had met there and it best explained why we were in Arizona (because we went to Vanderbilt for geology).
In 2002, things started to get a little more confusing. We left Arizona after one year for North Carolina. Now saying we were from Arizona didn’t seem right after a year and we were not coming from Tennessee. I may have reverted back to saying I was from PA but explaining we more recently moved from AZ and from TN before that.
In 2006, we moved to Montana. After owning a house in North Carolina, and having lived there for a few years, and having just moved from there I told people in Montana we were from North Carolina. However, people would often point out I didn’t have a southern accent and then I would have to give a more fuller answer to the question of where I am from.
In 2007, Susanne and I and now Sam (born in Montana) moved to California (are you dizzy yet? Start taking notes, this story is just starting). I loved Montana. I had no problems saying I was from Montana because I wanted it to be true and Sam was born there. People in Santa Cruz don’t really care where you are from, they just want you to relax, and have a beer or go the beach with them. In California, I didn’t get to say I was from Montana all that often.
In 2008, (yes we moved again…are you seeing why we ended up in an RV?) we moved back to TN. Ok, this made the question a bit easier again. I just started saying we were from TN. We just bought a house with the intention of staying and have lived there before. So I was from TN. Sure I didn’t sound like a southerner but I can throw in a few southern phases here and there without sounding funny.
In 2014, we moved to Indiana. Where was I from? TN. We just moved from there, I’d lived there for about 10 years, and Sam basically considers TN his home state.
In 2016, we moved into Clark and “moved” to Texas. Where am I from? Good question. I’m not from Indiana. Am I from TN? Well, I lived there for 10 years and that was my go-to answer since college but I lived in PA for much longer than that. However, saying I’m from PA skips over the last 18 years so that isn’t the right answer either. I’d loved to be able to claim Montana but we lived in North Carolina for longer. My driver’s license indicates I’m from Livingston, TX. I’ve known real Texans and I’ve learned enough from them to know not to claim to be a Texan.
Where am I from?
The answer depends on the day. Here are my common answers and non-answers to that question.
1) I grew up in PA.
2) We left Indiana to start RVing but I’m not from there.
3) Officially Texas.
4) Over there.
5) Good question.
6) I’m not sure anymore.
7) I don’t know.
8) We staying at fill-in-the-blank.
9) Blank stare.
10) The lower 48?
Anyone have a better answer I can use?
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