Anna’s Born UP North, Dye DOWN South perspective:

When I moved to East TN almost 7 years ago or so, there were a few things I was very excited about and a few things I grieved.  First of all, I moved here from center city Philadelphia (no not the town next to Sweetwater, THE Philadelphia…the one with the history and the bell and all that stuff).  When I lived in Center City Philadelphia, I worked in the old John Wanamaker Building (where they filmed that 80s shlock classic Manequin), I was two blocks away from a Tiffany’s (and spent too much on jewelry I didn’t need), in walking distance from a ton of amazing restaurants, had access to a lot of cultural events and shows, and reveled in the blunt northern experience.  I was worried that moving to Knoxville would mean less culturally diverse experiences, less rock stars coming through on tour, less diversity in eateries and the like.  I also was worried about the whole southern accent situation and the overt friendliness…which I just wasn’t used to.

When I moved here, I did go through some culture shock…however, I quickly found it’s not all that scary.  The cultural diversity is growing, more music acts are seeing Knoxville’s clubs/theatres as a viable venue for concerts, I can understand the lexicon better (I know now what “yuns” does not mean onions, and that a ramp is not just something you use to help a building become more wheelchair accessible), plus there’s the beauty of the Smoky Mountains right near by and kind of a growing electic culture whether it be a “scruffy little city”, “a couch” or just a “great little place on the verge of grandness”.  The one thing, I was not aware of was…what more than a few Knoxvillians have called “The Valley of Sickness” or something to that effect.

Apparently, because we’re nestled between The Smokys and the Cumberland Plateau it makes us a prime location for settling particles of persnicketyness that lead seemingly normal human beings to develop horrifying allergies.  Okay, perhaps I’m exaggerating…but only slightly.  When I moved here, I had never had allergies.  NEVER.  Now, I’ve been told that what might be my low-grade cold, might be allergies.  If that is so, and this current condition is more pervasive and fluctuating with the atmosphere (rather than treatable and preventable), I may just freak out.  First of all, it sucks.  I have this post-nasal stuff that is stuck somewhere behind my nose and not fully in my throat or lungs…it’s just stuck in my head.  Somewhere.  I can’t (pardon me here), blow it out or cough it up. It’s just somewhere.  Second, I’ve had more colds since I’ve lived here than I’ve ever had before.  Now perhaps it’s because I’m a bit of a workahaulic (see post on childlessness), and my immune system is low due to things like stress and what have you.  However, perhaps it’s the air here in the valley that makes us more prone to picking up whatever bug happens to be passing on through.  All, I know is that if we were once considered a “Valley of Sickness” by the Indians in the area…I think they might have been right.  Pardon me while while I grab a kleenex.