Want to know what I love about Charleston? I was born and raised in Charleston, SC a small town on the coast where the seafood is fresh and the culture is deep. I am Gullah or Geechee….whatever you prefer. The older crowd says Gullah while the new generation says geechee. We speak differently and our dialect is broken English. We talk backwards to some but if you are from the area, you will know thats how we talk. I have a slight accent also, which confuses people because they think I am from Jamaica or from an island. They are always surprised when I say I am from Charleston, SC. Here is a video on our dialect and how we talk with a little history of where we are from. We Been ya!

What I love about Charleston, SC

The Food – Come to Charleston ready to eat! You have to visit Hyman’s Seafood as your first stop. They are always packed but it’s a must that you go there. Make sure you leave with some of that yellow stone grits!

Chewies – We are known for our Chewies and I have a recipe just for you on this blog.

The Beach – You can’t come to Charleston without visiting the beach! Folly Beach is gorgeous anytime of the year!

Fresh Seafood – I live in Atlanta and I hate that I can’t find fresh seafood here. I can find it if I go to the Dekalb Farmers Market but for the most part…I can’t find good seafood here at all. If I want that freshness I go home! You haven’t had gumbo until you’ve had Geechee Gumbo.

A sense of calm – I go home to find peace. I can just go home and feel calm and like I have no cares in the world. When I go home, I always find the nearest beach, or I go to the waterfront park, and I just sit. Home is where my heart will always be.

I was born in the early 80’s (I’m not telling my age lol) to a mother who was raised in Charleston and Philadelphia. Growing up Geechee, I did things that others didn’t do. We eat rice every day, we love oxtail, we talk differently. Sometimes I write how I talk and people are always correcting me, saying I am not using the proper form of English but little do they know how I talk is my language and that it comes across as me not knowing how to speak. That’s why you gotta get to know people before you try to correct them.

I remember the days of walking to corner stores to buy candy and pig feet, I remember the nights at the beach with this guy I use to like lol. I remember the Sundays in church where we sang old spirituals and prayed for better days. I am hoping to move home to Charleston once my kids are older. I stay in Atlanta so that they can be near my late husbands family to be fair to them, but oh how I want to move back home and just be at peace. In the meantime…home is what you make it. You can always travel to your favorite places and see your favorite things, but just make sure that you make a home wherever you are. If you can’t live in the place you love… love the place you are in! Based on what I love about Charleston, are you ready to visit?

Where is your hometown? Do you miss it if you moved away?