Southerner or Yankee?

As some of you know, I was a military brat. Some say I'm still a brat, but that's okay. I wear the title proudly. My dad was in the Air Force and retired a Chief after 26 years in the military. Both of my parents were born and raised in Pittsburgh, and I am the youngest of four girls. I was actually born in Panama, where I think I've mentioned before that I plan to retire someday. Most of you weren't around my blog back then. It's a beautiful place, and especially after the winter we all have had, I could handle living somewhere that's pretty much not below the 70's all year round.

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I could handle this being my view every day!

I am all about my biggest worry being whether to go to the Pacific or the Atlantic on any given day. They have a rainy season, but I can handle that without the cold. They have awesome perks for Americans to come down there and retire, too. I just have to find out if the perks are the same for me, because I'd hate to go down there and not be allowed back! I mean, they have daily flights back home, but with me being born down there I want to make sure I don't give up my US citizenship by moving down there.

Anyway, we have lived many places since I was born including Virginia, Germany, New Mexico, and then here to South Carolina where my dad decided to retire. At the time most of our family were still in Pittsburgh, and my mom's brothers had moved to Florida so this was in the middle. I was a late attempt at a boy so I didn't move as much as my sisters did. We moved to SC when I was 12, and Dad retired when I was 15. 

When we go home to Pittsburgh, people up there say I have a southern accent. People down here say I'm a Damn Yankee. Most of you know the difference between a Yankee and a Damn Yankee, right? Well, for my foreign friends, a Yankee is someone who comes down here to visit while a Damn Yankee is someone who comes down here to live. Yes, there is still a bit of a Civil War undertone to the statement, but most of the time it doesn't bother me.

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Many down here still think that though I am not one of them.

One night in a bar, I won a bet because someone kept calling me a Damn Yankee. I threw $20 on the pool table and told him that I bet I was born farther south than he was. Of course, it wasn't a very fair fight, but he was a dumbass, so what did you expect me to do? He was being an ass. He threw his money down and asked where I was born. When I told him Panama, he said, "Ha! Panama City! I was born in Key West." And he tried to scoop the money up. I slammed my hand down and told him that, "I said Panama, as in the Panama Canal Zone, genius!" He swore up and down to me that Key West was still farther south. I told him if he could ever show me a map where Key West was farther south, I'd give him his money back with interest. He not only lost the bet but had to buy me a drink because I beat him at pool. He was NOT a happy camper. 

Many people down here get a kick out of seeing what I'll eat and what I won't. Like I refuse to eat grits. I'm sorry, but grit is a state of mind and not a food! It's like eating Cream of Wheat, and I'm not eating that either.

There are many things that I love about the south, and many things I like to separate myself from. I'll address the elephant that is usually in the room when people from other states think of South Carolina. Personally, I think everyone needs to get over the damn Confederate flag being up in our state capital. Jesse Jackson can picket our borders forever, but it's not stopping tourism from coming here. We are basically the golf center of the US in many ways. Hell, my uncle who lives in PA goes to the beach down here more than I do. Unfortunately, they put the least literate people on the national news to talk about the flag. It's not coming down, people. And I don't think it should. To most people down here, it's simply a symbol of this state's history and them wanting to preserve state's rights and has nothing to do with slavery. There are proud people in this state, and they don't want to let it go. That's the way I see it anyway, and so do most of the people I know. (Oh, please tell me I'm not going to lose followers over this, but I had to tell my opinion! If you feel differently, feel free to say so. This isn't a debate I haven't had with others in my own state before. I respect your opinions so please respect mine.)

Okay, I really didn't mean to get off on that tangent. But you tell me... Am I a southerner because I've lived most of my life down here? Or am I a Yankee because I've lived so many other places and I was raised by two Yankees? Maybe I'm a Damn Southerner? Wait, that doesn't sound right either. I am proud either way. I couldn't believe how many down here had never been farther than Myrtle Beach, let alone outside of the state. But I guess it comes from being around the military for most of my life, even after moving here.

Stay tuned for a guest post I'm doing elsewhere later today. I think you'll enjoy it. I'm thinking tomorrow needs to be another Blast from the Past post or another funny Mom story. We'll see!

Learning Spanish for my retirement

My sisters and I have been kicking around the idea of retiring in Panama. I was born there (as the child of a military family), and after recently reading that it's one of the top 10 places for Americans to retire, I am all about it! Hey, what's better than living in a place where the weather is always warm and there are no hurricanes? One sister (Pam) is worried I'll find a man and get married and not do it, because she is determined. I told her if that were to happen, he'd just have to move with us. But I'm not holding my breath that that will happen. Sherry wants to go, but her boyfriend is not thrilled with the idea.

Do you know how many perks they have for Americans to move down there? For one thing, you don't have to pay property taxes for 20 years if you buy a house there. So we figure Pam will buy a house first, and then I'll buy it from her later if we're both still alive by then. You can import a car tax-free every so many years, I think it was 4 or 5. You don't have to worry about the exchange rate because they use American currency. They say Panama City is more American than Miami. There are daily flights back to the States, the closest flight to home being Atlanta which works for me! As far as I can tell, our biggest worry would be if Pam tells me she's going to the beach, she'll have to specify whether it's the Atlantic or Pacific today. :) They even have groups of Americans down there who meet and do things together, including helping each other find homes, etc.

My only concern is that I need to check with the State Department to make sure there won't be any issues with my citizenship. Since I was born there, I don't know if I would be subject to the same rules as my sister. I sure don't want to go there and not be able to come home.

Anyway, Sherry has been learning Spanish (or re-learning) to be able to communicate with her boyfriend so he can speak Spanish to more than just his family back home in California. I decided to sign up to the same website (livemocha.com) to learn it with her. I figure it can't hurt to be able to communicate in Spanish when I move to Panama, right? And then I'll know when the natives are bad-mouthing the crazy Americans. It's been so long since I had Spanish in high school that I am basically starting over with the basics. So you might see us commenting to each other on here in Spanish like I did to her on Facebook on her birthday. It's just us trying to practice and not us trying to hide anything.