The Auto

I like to think of myself as a country fella'. Ever since I was born, I've grown up definitely as a southerner.
I started growing up in the small, quiet town of Wake Forest. Wake Forest was about as small as it got for a rural town (this was before the local economic boom created tons of new businesses and targets/wal-marts). I lived in an old, wooden house that had a large backyard and endless woods, where I could just go outside and fool around in the creek for a while and not have to worry about the things in life (sounds serious for an 8 year old!). The only urban experiences I really had were taking occasional trips to the malls in Raleigh, or maybe a trip to disney world every couple of years. I had a very strong, southern accent as a child. Also, my grandparents had/still have a very large farm that has been handed down for many generations. They used to have both sheep and cows, but we had to sell the sheep because my grandparents are mid-80s and my cousin isn't there anymore to help around the farm. It's way out in the country and it's wonderful. Like I mentioned in class, my great-great-great grandfather was a civil war cavalry soldier. That side of the family (my mom's side) is rich in southern culture. We used to have an old plantation house that was built in the early 1800s that was owned by my great-great grandparents and we have a lot of "southern" family heirlooms that have past down from that generation. A lot of the stuff were religious items, such as old hymnals and an old-fashioned, self-peddled organ (that still works!). And speaking of religion, my family has been Baptists ever since we can remember. However, we're moderates and the battle between fundamental and moderate Baptists is something that is almost characteristic of the south.