Whenever people find out I am from Connecticut, they automatically ask a series of predictable questions:

• What are you doing in Virginia?
• What is the biggest difference between the North and South?
• I've never been to Connecticut. Is it like the Gilmore Girls?
• Do I feel out of place?

In an effort to combat a lot of inquiries, here is my best way of explaining the difference between where I used to live to where I live now:

What are you doing in Virginia?

I came to Virginia for college and liked it so much I decided to move to Richmond permanently. A huge factor of that is that I got hired in Richmond and nowhere in Connecticut, so that really helps the decision.

What is the biggest difference between the North and South?

The biggest difference from Connecticut to Richmond isn't as big as anyone thinks. It's not like I moved from New York, New York to some bumbly town in Alabama (sorry Alabama). There are nice people that live in both locations and there are mean people in both places. There is a lot more snow in Connecticut, but Richmond gets a fall, which I know is what everyone stereotypes the South as lacking.

The word ya'll is pretty different. That one still gets me and makes me giggle a bit. We don't do that up North.

I've never been to Connecticut.

Of course most people don't go to Connecticut. Unless you have family up there or are passing through to go to New York, there is no huge draw to come to Connecticut. It is a lovely place, but I get it, there's nothing to make you want to visit.

Is it like the Gilmore Girls?

While I'm sure some of Connecticut is just like Rory's life in Gilmore Girls, that was not what my life was like at all. We don't all wear sweaters and drive BMW's to school, even though I would very much enjoy that.

Do I feel out of place?

And no, I have never felt out of place. Richmond is not as "southern" as people make it sound, nor are the differences even that significant. People need to stop making it sound like once you cross the Mason-Dixon line, life changes abruptly and all of a sudden you are in a new country.

I loved Connecticut. I had a great life and a great group of friends and family. However, I needed a change and a fresh start, and that is what Virginia provided me. I know people that grew up in Richmond and are dying to move away. If you stay anywhere for long enough, you'll probably want out. But don't expect that moving a few states away will be so foreign that you'll be feeling a significant amount of culture shock.