Last night I went on a really fun date. Near the end of the date we got on the subject of where a person is from. I had asked her where she was from, and she was saying that she was born in New Mexico, but didn't feel like she was from there because she moved when she was 2. She had actually lived in a bunch of places, but the place that she *felt* like she was from was New England. She felt like that best matched her.
She, of course, asked me where I was from. That's always been a difficult question for me. What's the right answer? Is it where you were actually born? For a lot of people, that doesn't make sense. Like my date. Is it where you spent the majority of your childhood? For me, that's Jacksonville, FL - but of all the places I've ever lived, that's the place I feel like I'm from the *least*. I kind of recoil at thinking of myself as being from there. Is it the place you spent your "formative years"? Well, which are those? Is it the place you have the most memories from?
Maybe it's the place you like the most? That seems nice, but it isn't really accurate. What if your personality is formed by your intense dislike for the place you grew up? My ex was from a small town in Texas that she felt very much she did not ever want to go back to - but she was clearly, obviously from there.
At the end of the day, much like we were talking about the other day on this blog in the post on sexuality, I feel like the only honest answer is that the place you're from is the place you *feel* like you're from. And the odd thing, for me, is that of all places, the place I feel like I'm from the most...is Portland. But how can that be? I lived here for one month, a month ago. I know almost nothing about the place, all told. And yet...I feel drawn here. It feels right. A close second would be Austin, which feels very similar to Portland. Maybe what I'm really reacting to is a feeling of being from what they call a "tribe"...a mentality...a way of life, that Portland/Austin/Madison/Boulder seem to embody.
So, the next time someone asks me where I'm from, I'm going to say Portland, and see how that feels. And confuse everyone. :)