Is that a southern accent I hear?

I am a Georgia girl. Born in Piedmont Hospitmal, raised in Sugar Hill. I refer to my mom as "mamma" and I have a cohort of family members whose stories of deabourbonth, illicit sex and insanity confirm anyone's suspicion that the southern rule of thumb is put the crazy on the front porch, add a sleeping dog and a shot gun. Well, my dog tends to stay awake but otherwise, not far from it. I spent the past 3 days in Boston working on my skills in treating head and neck cancer. I need these skills as Kentucky is top ranking in smoking, smoking while pregnant and big huge untreated cancers that patients allow to blossom into the spine before they get to the doctor. Often once there, they decided to "wait on it" prior to initiating treatment. I love these people as they remind me of where I grew up and it is strong in my list of personal goals that I make their lives better. What I do NOT understand is the Northern fascination with southern women. The past 2 nights I went out with various speech pathologists, and constantly the comment was "is that a southern accent I hear?". I wish I was sassy enough to be like "ahoy tharrrr matey, my voice be that of a hearty scallywag." But not, I say things like (while smiling)"oh yes it is, i'm here for training" and "why don't you try some of that good kentucky bourbon."
When I was younger the allure of big cities was strong. I've lived in a few of them, and all I can think about at this moment as I partake in the free WiFi at the airport bar is: I want Bailey, my own bed, 4 wheel drive and a ball cap. Time to go home. Making the move back south has made sense on so many levels. It's remarkable how putting non-native organisms into an environment can expose just what it is that we really need. I need southern accents, yes mam's, the smell of fresh cut grass and big ole southern boys.