When I moved out of state for college, I knew I would miss my hometown of Chicago. I'm a proud fourth generation Chicagoan, and I live and breathe everything that is my city. But, if you're not from Chicago, you wouldn't know of the biggest rivalry of all time, even bigger than that of the Cubs and White Sox- and that is the Northside versus the Southside. So, I'm here to tell you why Southside Chicago is the real Chicago, and to pay homage to the city that raised me.

Thank you, Chicago for giving me a thick ass dialect. I am proud of the way I say Chicago and how I say "Da Bears".

I am proud of the foods that you can only really get in Chicago, like an Italian Beef sandwich with giardiniera from the local Italian store.

Thank you for being a take no shit kind of city. I've witnessed the Chicago Teacher's Union go on strike for better pay and retirement plans. I've seen the Black Lives Matter occupy and protest on the Mag Mile. And I see the attitude in myself when my family or myself are disrespected.

Thank you for giving me at least five friends who have a family member that works for the Chicago Police Department.

Thank you for strengthening my Catholic faith, for being an Irish woman who, on the contrary, loves a good old domestic beer.

Thank you for making me one of the many Southsiders who calls elementary through middle school "grammar school".

Thank you for giving us some of the biggest rivalries in Catholic High School football on the Southside- from Mount Carmel vs. St. Rita, to Marist vs. Brother Rice/McCauley.

Thank you, SOUTHSIDE, for giving us the greats, Dwayne Wade, Michelle and Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Ronald Reagan, Kanye West, and Chance the Rapper.

Thank you for fueling a baseball rivalry so strong in my family that we scream at the television. And for the record, I was raised a Cubs fan and will die a Cubs fan, whether or not they just happen to be the Northside team.

Thank you Chicago, for teaching me how to drive on a five lane expressway, and how to navigate around the city, especially when Pulaski Road becomes Crawford.

Thank you, Southside, for making me humble and grateful, and to always remember where my roots come from. There's and old legend that Northsiders are rude and snobby.

Thank you for giving us the Southside Irish Parade- a local holiday, in my opinion.

Thank you, for Harry Carry's, Potbelly's, and Portillo's. The rest of the world is really missing out on this dining experience.

Thank you for those "Windy City' politics- from the Daley's, to Rod Blagojevich's impeachment and "Crook" County, you never fail to keep us on our toes.

Thank you, Chicago, for being a fast-paced and progressive city. Thank you for teaching me liberal ways and to accept everyone, no matter what gender, sex, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or socioeconomic status. This country is still lagging in acceptance, as shown by certain political candidates, but we're pushing others in the right direction.

And most of all, thank you for making me a proud, Irish, Catholic, Democrat. I fit the stereotype of a Southsider so well, but I am a liberal and a Democrat until the day I die.

I could go on for hours on why I am proud to be a Southside Chicagoan, but we'd be here for hours if I did.

I feel that living on the Southside of Chicago has prepared me well for the facts and realities of life. I'm not overtly optimistic, and I see the harsh realities of life. I may be desensitized when it comes to things like murders and gang activity, but the Chicago life offers so much more than what it is just shown on television. In recent years, Chicago has faced some scrutiny, but that does not take away from the beauty and the fast-pace of living within the city.

I am proud to be a Chicagoan, but I am even more proud to be a Southsider.