Autobiographical: Me and the South

On the surface, the South seems pretty normal to me; yet it was when our English class started studying and discussing the South further, that I finally realized how loaded my previous thoughts were. The only reason it seems normal to me is becuase this is where I grew up and lived my entire life. This is my home. I'm ignorant and know nothing else.

I take it for granted that my mother prepares food from scratch and that I've never had to eat from a box until college. It was actually last night when I was talking with some friends that I realized this was not the norm. The norm of the country or just the norm of my selected friends at the table, or maybe both, I don't know. But in either case I realized it was not the norm. I also take for granted my sense of family and how much they mean to me. In the South family's tend to stick together. Either in the sense of living near each other to be able to make frequent visits or simply spending holidays together. It would be so odd to me to only be spending holidays with my immediate family: my mother, father, and sister. It would be so small. Thus, family holidays or family get togethers are large , many family membered events that I greatly enjoy. By seeing each other and making the effort to meet together frequently, deeper relationships can be formed. This is why so many Southern families are tight knit families who look out for one another.