I flew home to New Jersey on Monday. And then I flew home to Asheville last night. It’s a weird state of mind, really.
Which one is truly home? Obviously I live in Asheville, and I’ve started to refer to it as home. But I’m not ready to stop calling Jersey or Philly home.
One thing is for sure though: people in NJ now have accents. OK, they’ve had accents all along, but now I hear them. And Southern people still sound a bit funny to me.
Is that what a home is? Wherever the people don’t sound funny? In that case I guess I’m homeless.
Being in Jersey was perplexing to my psyche. I didn’t quite fit in: the cars went too fast, the people talked too fast, and I actually got lost 10 minutes from where I grew up. But then there was this internal sense of relief being around people who love Philly sports, know what pork roll is, and don’t think Olive Garden is good italian food… oh, and the radio stations actually play good music (I complained about them when I lived there, little did I know how much worse it could be).
All these mixed emotions made me realize that Asheville is just an easier place to call home. Almost anyone would feel comfortable here. For every redneck, there’s a hippie. Plus the rednecks are actually a lovely shade of pink, while the hippies are the credit card variety. It’s all so nonthreatening. Even if you’re an iPhone toting, fast talking, high-fashion model from Manhatten, you’ll feel comfortable here just because Ashevillians are so happy (certainly happier than NYers), and it’s hard to be uncomfortable around happy people.
More than half the people I’ve met here in Asheville aren’t from here. They flock to Asheville because there’s something for everyone, rather than everything for someone… and it turns out the former is pretty appealing.
In my family we call Key West the Island of Misfits. So I think that makes Asheville the Valley of Misfits.
Considering I ate at Olive Garden when I went home (to Jersey), I’d say my Northern taste has been compromised. Asheville may not be my only home but I’m now a Southern Yankee at the very least.
