You travel so you know where to call home...

...and my home is the South. Specifically Nashville, TN.

 I also feel like I can claim Kentucky as my home; I do love me some Kentucky.

As a teenager, growing up where I did often seemed like:
But after living in France (a country that I previously thought would be like living in a fairly tale), I realized that America has a unique culture.

There truly is an American branding of high school, university life, humor, and Christianity.(I'm talking about the South, because I've only lived in the South) .

In the beginning of the book, Sebastien Fath is searching for a black-gospel, evangelical church in the overwhelming heat of an Atlanta summer. He stops in a Fast-food restaurant, but cannot understand what anyone says because of the accent. Then, surprised how difficult it was to walk somewhere in the US, he finally arrives at the church and comments on the music and the evangelical jargon.

This is what I consider normal. And someone is writing a book on this stuff, explaining this "foreign way of life" to frenchies!?!

Maybe they don't have potluck dinners like this:

These clips are from Junebug, which is basically the movie version of what I am talking about. Here's the trailer:


I acknowledge that the South can be associated with rednecks, red states, holy-rollers and hell-raisers, narrow-mindedness and racism:

No homesickness or distance can gloss over those issues.

But, still, all the traveling has made me appreciate my roots.

If I gain nothing else, moving to France was worth it just to realize that what I thought was not special at all, is actually something special indeed.







It also helps that I've been listening to Johnny Cash's Live @ San Quentin:

And it also helps that I'm realizing more and more how badass the city of Nashville is. The Dead Weather formed there.

Especially when my high school students react with "Oh, la chance!" when I talk about my life back home (like being able to go to concerts any night of the week).

As the Beach Boys say, "And the Southern girls with the way they talk/They knock me out when I'm down there"

Despite all this, I still try to hide the slight southern drawl in my accent.

If all else fails, Nashvillians can always  brag about bein' the "Athens of the South."

Wow! These pictures are now 4 years old. You know what they say about time.

'Twas a night to remember. @ Centennial Park.