I’m not weird…
…I’m a Northeasterner!
My family moved a lot growing up and I continued the vagabond lifestyle into adulthood. When people ask me where I’m from I’ll often just answer with the last place I lived, or stress that I’m originally from New York (born there) but didn’t grow up there. I have to stress that, otherwise people start going on to me about New York and I can only follow so far. I did spend many a holiday and summer there, though and went to college in Albany, but that was ten years ago. I never really thought of it as home.
I recently had the chance to spend a few weeks in New York and some neighboring states for work and had the most peculiar feeling driving around and talking to locals. I realized it was the feeling of being an insider, instead of an outsider. The communication styles, the aesthetics, the politics- I could slide right in- and I never feel like that! I could never be a true New Yorker – I’m a vagabonder, it’s true- but it was interesting to feel a sense of home there that I didn’t expect to find.
Can’t wait to go back!