hometown identity crisis

"Where are you from?"

This is probably the most asked question where I live now. Most people who live here are transplants. It's rare to come across someone who was actually born and raised here. If they're not from another state, they're from another country. So, the question is a typical one.

While this question is a simple one, I have trouble answering.

I feel as though I grew up in two places. I moved right in the middle of my formative years. Currently, my life has been split evenly between two different states. So, when asked this question, I always hesitate.

Technically, I suppose my hometown would be considered the town I spent the first few years of my life. That small, Midwestern town where I had many great memories with childhood friends. I did many things there that I could never have done in a larger town and I'm so thankful for that. I'm thankful to have had that opportunity, especially in a time when kids spend more time indoors than out and are sheltered from many chances for adventure because of the fear of predators. I lucked out, partly because I was in a small, sleepy town.

But right in the middle of all of that, I was uprooted and moved south. I had to begin all over again in a new, larger town. One that I eventually learned to love as my own. A town that over the years, became home to me.

So, I struggle to answer this question, "where are you from?"

I normally take the easy way out and answer with the town I just moved from. It's more recognizable and involves fewer follow-up questions. Besides, I am no longer a stereotypical Midwesterner. I don't like beer, cheese, the Packers, or cold weather. And I've long since dropped my Midwestern accent.

Besides, most people here in the big city think that the hometown I choose to answer with is all country. They imagine dirt roads, farms and cows where everyone talks with a thick southern accent and wears a cowboy hats. Nothing could be further from the truth. I am from a cultural hub - film festivals, ballets, and operas flock there. There's no end to the fine dining and the beaches (ranking top in the world) go on for miles.

I often find myself defending my town.

So, when someone finds out I'm a Yankee in disguise, I do not offer the same kind of passion nor the same defense of my Midwestern roots. Most people down here have never been to a farm, so I let them believe the stereotypes.

It's still hard to know which answer to give. Stay true to the town I spent the first few years of my life or the town I spent the last few? Go with technicality or passion?

Then I remind myself that home is where the heart is.

And I know exactly where my heart lies.

That makes my answer to "where are you from?" somewhat easier.