In 2018, I moved to Alabama to pursue my studies and, quite honestly, to escape the harshness of Vermont winters (to each their own).
I grew up in Vermont, in downtown Brattleboro for much of that time. I worked at a local bank, and before that I waited tables. I interacted with a lot of people every day, and as the time for me to leave drew near, word that I would be moving to Alabama had spread.
I quickly lost track of the number of times I was warned about the evils of Alabama, or how the people there were “all prejudiced; they just can't help it.”
I would be told that a smart girl like me shouldn't be moving to a place where people are so ignorant or backwards.