Stationary

As of last week, I have lived continuously in one state for four years.

You might not think that's anything special, but maybe you'll understand when I give you another piece of information:

The last time I lived in one state continuously for four years was from 1987 to 1991.

Wow.

It's true that I lived in Illinois for a total of 4-1/2 years, but they weren't continuous, as I took six months off of college to return to Nigeria when I was 19. Equally, I lived in Nigeria a total of nine years but not ever continuously for more than 2-1/2 years, since we took year-long furloughs, and I came to the States for college.

This is the first time since I was nine years old that I've called one state "home" for four years in a row.

Not that Georgia will ever actually be "home," but I guess I feel as comfortable here as I ever did in Illinois. I've become familiar with the culture, with the highways (at least in east Georgia), with Georgia-isms. I love sweet tea (is there any other kind?) and fried catfish. Heck, my daughter was born here (although technically I guess she was born on federal land). Timothy has lived here most of his life.

Wow.

When I was little, spending time at my best friend Laura's house in Nigeria, I loved their Southern ways. Laura's dad is from Louisiana and her mom from Georgia, so Laura had Georgia Bulldogs paraphernalia (even though none of them were into sports). She wore Atlanta Braves t-shirts and baseball caps. At her house we ate grits and sometimes even biscuits and gravy. I learned to say "y'all" and "yes, sir" and "yes, ma'am" at her house. When we were teenagers volunteering in the hospital, I first learned about MCG (the Medical College of Georgia, which is where I now work) as she talked about maybe going there some day. We would sit on her mom's bed and fold clothes while we watched Star Trek: Voyager, and Laura would remind me that she'd been born in Springfield, Georgia, in that very bed, which had been shipped all the way from the States. Laura's family was my second family, and I loved being Southern by proxy.

And here I am, living in Georgia. Who'd've thunk? Four years. Wow.