So tonight, I was at the market around the corner from my house, buying a bottle of wine for the week. Actually, I admit it was my second bottle of wine this week, as last night I went grocery shopping and decided to try this organic wine, which ended up tasting just awful. Awful. So that was $7 right down the drain!
While I was in line, two guys behind me got into a discussion about whether they thought I was from Virginia. Their verdict was “no”. At this point I turned around and asked, “why do I seem like I’m not from Virginia?”
“I dunno, you just don’t look like you’re from here,” one of the guys said.
“How do I not look like a Virginian?” I asked indignantly.
“I dunno, you just don’t. He’s the one who said it,” the first guy said again, as his friend shook his head like he didn’t believe me. I’m so glad they clarified.
“Maybe up north,” said the second guy.
I paid and left, thinking man, I’m as Virginian as they come, right? I mean sure, I was BORN in D.C. but I was raised my entire life in the mountains of Virginia. I spent more time digging my hands in Virginia dirt than I did playing video games (I mean, we weren’t allowed to have video games growing up, but still!). I’ve ingested more Shenandoah River water than I care to admit. I was educated at home in Virginia (a state with a uniquely high homeschooling rate along with California), where my parents made sure Virginian history was a huge part of our lessons, and–as a result–spent time in Jamestown and Williamsburg, and not just to take pictures of ourselves in the stocks, but to actually learn stuff too!
I went on to public high school in Virginia, and COLLEGE in the CAPITAL of Virginia (Richmond), where I also spent a summer at Virginia’s Governor’s school when I was 17, learning about–amongst other things–the Virginian government. I also had my first real theatre job in Virginia, working at UVA’s summer theatre company. So I mean, yeah, you could say I’m from ’round here.
And as for “maybe” being a northerner? Sorry, but both my parents were raised in North Carolina, my father even being “born and bred” there, as they say down south. I mean sure, his parents were Hungarian immigrants, but I think he’d tell you that he certainly got the full NC experience, as evidenced by his intolerance for any barbeque sauce that isn’t true-blue-vinegar-based Eastern North Carolina sauce, and that hasn’t been poured on a pig that’s been smoked in a pit for at least 8 hours; more if possible. So you can’t accuse me of being a northerner, either.
And as I was having this imaginary argument with these long-gone guys in my head on the way back to my apartment, I suddenly realized… I was feeling something like PRIDE at my Virginian-ness! Yes, I was PROUD of being from Virginia… holy crap! What a feeling! This place so rich with history, which a has shaped a unique culture that is different from more southern states, and yet retains that down-home atmosphere. I will challenge anyone who thinks our mountains in the autumn are anything less than spectacular. I adore Richmond, where I live now, for being what my mom calls “urban-lite”, for being a city with a small community feel. As in, I can walk down the street and get a “hello” or “good morning” AND a smile from the majority of people I pass.
I wouldn’t trade the literally hundreds of drives I’ve had by now, all across this beautiful state… in high school, I had a Virginia road atlas in which I would highlight every road I’d explored, determined to cover the whole thing in neon yellow. Our national parks can’t be beat, and provided the settings for some of my favorite memories over the years.
So yeah, don’t tell me I don’t “look” like I’m from Virginia. My bones are steeped in it, baby.
