Let's Tawk About Cawfee: Discovering I Have an Accent

Up until I moved to Florida, I wasn’t aware that I had an accent, or at least not such an apparent one. Back home, everyone sounds like me. It wasn’t long after getting settled into Florida life when I was on the phone with someone from work when he brought up my accent. Then, people started to point it out. Either they were curious to know where I was from or others knew right away that I was from “up north” to which I corrected them, “I’m a New Yorker!”

At first, I was annoyed, and a little self-conscious to be honest. Did my accent stick out that much? Did it make me sound less educated? What was once a trait that I considered unique and charming suddenly made me feeling self-conscious, especially since I was the odd one out and didn’t have my usual team of New Yorkers to back me up.

The day before Hurricane Irma hit our area, it rained for days and naturally, a lot of flooding was surrounding the area. I remember driving towards my daughter’s school in an especially high flood zone and being nervous because the water was getting high. Some cars had already gotten stuck and their immobile cars lined the roads. I panicked and stopped my car so I could make the turn and head back. There was a car coming up behind me and I warned him that he shouldn’t go further for fear of getting stuck. He smiled and let out a chuckle. He assured me that not only was he going to go across just fine, but that I was, too. He explained that our cars (my minivan at the time and his SUV) could handle the water but that we just needed to go slow and steady and not stop. He went on to explain the physics of why cars get stuck and to honest, I zoned out, but the important thing was that he immediately gained my attention and trust and I decided that I would follow his lead.

As soon as he had started speaking, I realized that he too was from “up north.” He had a thick New Jersey accent, a fellow “Northerner.” I immediately trusted him, which is ironic because if there’s anything a New Yorker knows it’s to trust no one especially if they are from Jersey (hahaha). But, I followed his lead- or he followed behind me as I slowly pushed through the heavily flooded streets, all while praying to God I wouldn’t get stuck. Slow and steady and after about half a mile and what felt like the longest few minutes, I made it over to the dryer area. He pulled up next to me, told me to be careful, said “You got this, girl” and drove off.

I quickly realized that No, I was not embarrassed by my accent. It’s a huge part of who I am and I should “wear it” with pride. I call myself a die-hard New Yorker so if people can guess where I’m from just by me opening my mouth, then they already have a good idea of who I am.

Do you have an accent? If so, how do you feel about it?