My Appalachia

It is so important to know where you come from and where you live. I have heard that if you don't know where you have been then how is it you can know where you are going? It is interesting to go around and see what people think about what it means to live in Appalachia. There were a wide variety of answers to the questions that I asked. Here are the interviews...

Interview #1
1. What does living in Appalachia mean to you?
I think it means to like be poor and stuff and maybe to be a “hillbilly”.

2. Do you consider yourself Appalachian?
Not really. I just go to college here so I don’t think that makes me Appalachian.

3. Should there be more interaction/connection/communication between the University and the surrounding area?
I am kind of indifferent about this question. I’m not so sure it matters if there is connection or not. If someone wants to be more connected than they can make their own efforts.

My Reflection
As I heard this I was wondering if it was a good thing or not that this person didn't consider themselves to be Appalachian. Did this person not want to be Appalachian because of a bad stigma of this area or did they truly not think of themselves this way?

Interview #2

1.What does living in Appalachia mean to you?
I think it means to be a blue collar worker, middle class living, and to be a hard worker.

2. Do you consider yourself Appalachian?
Yes

3.Should there be more interaction/connection/communication between the University and the surrounding area?
Absolutely. Given that this area is of a lower economic stance, if the University could branch out and tie in some of the surrounding communities it could ultimately help educate those communities.

My Reflection
This sounds very similar to my own thoughts of the area. I think that when you have connections being made, it allows you to start making differences and changes for the better.

Interview #3

1. What does living in Appalachia mean to you?
I really have no clue what this means

2. Do you consider yourself Appalachian?
I’m not sure

3.Should there be more interaction/connection/communication between the University and the surrounding area?
Well, I guess that would be a good thing.

My Reflection

I have lived here my entire life and couldn't imagine being anywhere else. And part of living here is knowing what your background is and where you came from.To me, being Appalachian is to be a hard worker, to always strive to do better, and to cherish the things that matter most: religion, family, and work.