Provenance
Every day there are thousands of tourists in DC, and they all want to ask me for directions. I don't know why. I guess I exude that magical combination of knowledge, patience and general niceness that makes people think I can and will solve their local geography problems. So they come up to me and say, in French- or German- or Russian- or Midwestern-accented English, "Excuse me, are you from here?"
This question throws me off every time. I know, intellectually, that when they ask this question they are REALLY asking if I might be someone with the will and capability to direct them to the White House/the Mall/their hotel/a good restaurant. The answer to this unspoken question is usually yes, unless they're looking for someplace obscure or I'm in a hurry. But no, I'm not from here. No matter how long I live in the DC metro area I will never be from here. I'm from Texas. I will always be from Texas, even though I wasn't actually born there and I may never live there again. So please direction-askers, just ask me if I live around here. I can answer yes to that without hurting my brain.
This question throws me off every time. I know, intellectually, that when they ask this question they are REALLY asking if I might be someone with the will and capability to direct them to the White House/the Mall/their hotel/a good restaurant. The answer to this unspoken question is usually yes, unless they're looking for someplace obscure or I'm in a hurry. But no, I'm not from here. No matter how long I live in the DC metro area I will never be from here. I'm from Texas. I will always be from Texas, even though I wasn't actually born there and I may never live there again. So please direction-askers, just ask me if I live around here. I can answer yes to that without hurting my brain.