bad blogger

Oh dear oh dear poor blog what has happened?!
My relatively regular posting during fall semester has gone down the drain and I have absolutely no excuse other than the fact that since I returned in January I've been having such a nice time that blogging has somewhat fallen on the back burner.

ANYWAY in an effort to rectify this I thought I'd do a few shorter posts rather than a huge essay about the whole term. Since I last posted, I've been lucky enough to visit the west coast twice, I've met a load of lovely new people and discovered a whole different side to Columbia, I've moved rooms into an apartment with two of the loveliest americans ever, I've finished classes and sat my exams and am now finally DONE with third year in terms of work (except for a pesky dissertation but I'm averting attention from that for now).

I'm also now in my last week in America. In fact, I've only got 3 full days here left, which makes me want to cry a lot. Somehow this semester the deep south has begun to feel a lot more like home than I ever thought it would and the idea of leaving it for what will be potentially a long time is very strange indeed.

I no longer find it weird that even though its 30 degrees or more outside, I still have to take a cardigan out with me because of the air-conditioning. I like grits, and I like eggy bread being served with syrup, not ketchup. I'll take an Arnold Palmer over a coke anyday and if it's sugary enough I might even drink a bit of sweet tea. Flip-flops aren't just for the beach, and when I go for a 'hike' I proudly wear my fake norts (nike shorts) - thankyou walmart. I don't go to uni, I go to school, and when I say GO COCKS I'm no longer taking the piss.

I don't feel like I'm 'studying abroad' anymore. The novelty has worn off in the best way possible, and I just feel like a USC student, so leaving all things garnet and black behind is going to be hard.

This sounds a little deep and sad when I don't mean it to. I'm looking forward to england and everyone in england a huge deal but living somewhere for almost a year is just about long enough to get to know it properly and to miss it properly.

I will miss having this as my house....

...and this for my garden.

And no gym will ever come anywhere close to this place.

As a true gamecock would say,"Here's a health, Carolina, forever to thee!"