Mondays on Zelda & Scout are all about you! In a series we call “Just Folks,” we talk to Southerners who have found their way to New York about where they’re from, where they are now, and what home means to them. Tell us your story here!

This week we have Katherine Hurt! A fellow Kentucky-to-Brooklyn transplant, this girl after our own heart has decided she has two homes: While after five years, she’s decided she can officially call herself a New Yorker, but she still wears her Kentucky badge proudly.

Name: 

Katherine Hurt

Hometown:

Pikeville, KY

Age:

23

Current City:

Brooklyn, NY

Who are you and what do you do?

I work at a boutique talent and literary agency in Chelsea and live in a studio by Prospect Park with my two dogs, Cardi and Phoebe.

Time North of the Mason-Dixon line so far?

A little over 5 years

What brought you to New York?

I moved here for school; I attended NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.

What’s the most common reaction when people learn where you’re from? What’s something about life in the South that you have to explain to non-Southerners?

“But you don’t have an accent!”

For some reason, people are always surprised to learn that Kentucky gets all four seasons, and that it snows — a LOT.

Describe life in NYC as people at home picture it. Describe life in NYC as it actually is.

As a single girl, people probably picture my life as very “Sex and the City.” I have a designer bag or a cosmopolitan in hand at all times, and I’m constantly on my way to a gallery opening or amazing new restaurant.

In REAL life, I’m usually lounged out on my couch in my (non-designer) sweats after a long week of work. The art I consume mostly comes from my Netflix account and the occasional Broadway show (I do take advantage of the awesome film festivals in the city, though!). Most of my shopping is done online, and Seamless is one of my bookmarked pages.

Carrie Bradshaw would totally be bored with my life.

Where do you consider home? Why?

I always refer to Kentucky as home — as in, “I’m going home for Christmas” — but at the end of the day, I can’t wait to get HOME, to Brooklyn.

I guess I have two homes!

Do you miss where you’re from? Do you see yourself going back?

I don’t think I’d ever live there again, but I love going back for the holidays.

Do you consider yourself a Southerner? Do you consider yourself a New Yorker? Why or why not?

I once saw a homeless man releasing diarrhea and vomit simultaneously on 16th Street and I just keep walking. I’ve now decided I am allowed to call myself a New Yorker.

But I still wear the Kentucky badge proudly.

Which food/drink/song/book/movie/artwork/quotation/gif/etc. defines New York for you? (choose as many or as few as you’d like)

BAGELS. PIZZA. YUM!

“Empire State of Mind” came out the year I moved to New York, so that’s my jam and makes me emotional every time I hear it.

Which food/drink/song/book/movie/artwork/quotation/gif/etc. defines where you’re from? (choose as many or as few as you’d like)

Cracker Barrel, WAFFLE HOUSE!!

There’s no one particular song that defines my experience in Kentucky, but my favorite thing (and the thing I miss most) about home is being able to drive my car and sing (not well, mind you) at the top of my lungs. Even though my Mom repeatedly points out, ” You know they’re ticketing now for loud music.”

Of course, I can listen to music in New York, but because I have neighbors and commute to work on the subway, I can never really jam THAT hard.

What is the best cure for homesickness?

FaceTime, for sure.

Are you a Southerner living in New York City? Want to talk about it? Fill out our survey here, and internet fame and fortune can be yours in just a few short minutes!