I've never lived anywhere longer than 5 years. Being the perpetual new girl has its pros and cons.

The author has never lived anywhere longer than five years.

Courtesy of Chloe Gordon Cordover

At 30, the longest I've ever lived somewhere is five years.That's one year longer than the time I spent in college, which for most people is probably the shortest time they've lived in one place. I've lived in 10 cities, seven states, and more houses than I feel like counting, and when people ask where I'm from, unlike when they ask me about the weather, there is depth to the question.So much so that my answer varies depending on the person who's asking.I've moved all over, first for my dad's job, then of my own accordIf I know I'll never see you again, you get "Birmingham, Alabama," my birthplace, quick and easy. If the conversation is casual, you get "all over the South," which is technically true and also conversationally merciful.But sometimes I'll say, "It's a long list, but I'm happy to share." And if you say yes, I tell you to sit down before I walk through it all: Birmingham, then Nashville, then Dothan, then the Florida panhandle, then Louisville, then Denver, then Boulder for college, then Birmingham again, then New Orleans, and now Savannah, Georgia, where I'm three years into what is only a five-year stint, due to my husband's career. After this, we'll move somewhere else for one to three years, and then after that, maybe, we'll settle down.That answer is always followed by the next question: "Why did you move so often?" Like most kids, I knew my dad's job only in the vaguest terms: real estate lawyer. What he actually does all day is still a mystery to me. I understood, in the general sense, that his career was built on helping businesses grow or closing them, Blockbuster among them. But when people asked, I'd just reply with, "My dad's job, and, no, not military." Quick and easy.The first time I moved was when I was 3, and then again at 6. Our next move was when I was in fifth grade, and then twice in high school. I kept the pattern going myself when I moved to college, and then moved in with my grandfather after I graduated. I then followed my now husband to New Orleans, Louisiana, for his medical school training, and then to Savannah, Georgia, to begin his medical career.