I had about a week left of being in england before I was off into the then unknown pastures of south carolina. Things would have been stressful enough but due to a mysterious illness setting in at the worst possible moment, I had to quit my summer job early and spend about three days of this final week in bed. Packing for a year is bad enough but when you can't even lift your arms high enough to get dressed it seems a lot worse. good times.
A blood test and a few drugs later, the doctor confirmed it wasn't glandular fever (phew) and that I should be ok to go....
and I can safely say now that I'm so glad I did.
I've been back for almost two months now and have more or less adjusted back into the british swing of things.Working in a national trust tea room means that I've been immersed in scones, tea, and OAP's, and together with beach walks, a beautiful english summer that's actually lasted more than about 3 consecutive days, pub food, and catching up with friends and family, it almost feels as though I never left. However, a quick browse of my photos brings it all back and sometimes I can't believe the amount of stuff we managed to cram into a year that was also full of a fair amount of academic work.
Now I've had time to 'reflect' (deep, right) on the year I've realised a few things that I wish I could have told myself this time last August...
- things will go wrong (might as well start with the negatives!) I spent my first semester sharing an apartment with a freshman who embodied all the negative american stereotypes you can think of. Loud, argumentative, rude, racist, stubborn, unhealthy, conservative, watched FOX news, referred to Obama as a retard and national healthcare as a ridiculous notion. She ticked all the boxes and then some. I began my attempt to switch rooms after about a fortnight of being at USC but wasn't able to change until after christmas, meaning 17 weeks of listening to un-intelligent commentary about political programmes, opening the fridge to find it full up with crates of gatorade and ready-meals, and avoiding conflicts about the air-conditioning. If you do find yourself in an unfortunate housing situation and you can't change it straight away, my only advice is to spend as little time there as possible, and to try and get it sorted out as soon as you realise that you're unhappy. I was very lucky to have some good friends at the same university and so spent a lot of time in their flats, but if not then join a sports club or a society, hang out with other international students (because they will always want someone to travel/explore with) or just go and have a look round the town yourself. Whatever you do, don't coop yourself up and spend time stressing about the situation as it won't solve anything.
- you will grow to love country music. In the deep south, there is
NO ESCAPE from this as it's what will be blared out of nearly all radio
stations and even in bars. I realised it was easier to just accept it
and after a while, I became hooked. With lyrics revolving mainly around
pick-up trucks, beer, tight jeans and good ol' fashioned love, it was
hard not to.
southern logic from luke bryan - American College is a bit like school. Don't expect to be treated as an independent adult like you would be at a UK uni. Meal plans are standard so no one is forced into having to tread the dangerous waters of learning to cook. Class assignments are pop quizzes, optional extra credit exists, and essays are generally not much longer than a few pages. Campus housing bans the presence of alcohol in the apartment if you're under 21, and the whole campus was tobacco-free.
- Having a british accent will get you far. From guys at bars, to little old ladies in supermarkets, EVERYBODY WILL LOVE YOU. Honestly, the amount of times I had random strangers next to me in the queue comment on my accent was crazy. The south is known for its friendliness but even on the west coast and up in NY, people were instantly interested in you because you were briddish. Use this to your advantage - get to know people who are nice enough to appreciate your differences because when you return home to england it's back to being normal and boring. (although do bear in mind that everyone will ask you to say crumpet and jolly good and the novelty will wear off ever-so-slightly whether you like it or not.)
- At first doing things on your own will be scary but dont be put off. In my second semester, I took a photography class where we had to pick a rural town and travel there regularly to photograph it. The first few times I went I went with someone as I didn't really have any idea of what sort of place it would be. But after that, I decided to go alone and ended up talking to local people and enjoying having some time in a new place, on my own. Definitely make an effort to make new friends but remember that you don't have to do things in groups the whole time. Join a club or take an unsual class where you don't know anyone...basically get out of your comfort zone as the rewards you'll reap are well worth it.
a photo from my rural south photography class
- Things to do might not jump out at you at first. When I first arrived in Columbia, if I'm totally honest, it looked awful. Yes, it was raining and yes, the drive from the airport to campus was through a pretty bleak part of town but even after a few weeks I still didn't really 'get' the city. It seemed devoid of any actual centre, and too far from anything scenic for my liking. However, as time went by and I actually made the effort to see what the city had to offer, I was pleasantly surprised, and even began to feel a little bit at home. Go to the farmers market regularly and get to know the people on the stalls. Find your favourite place to pick up and snack and work your way through the menu. Support the local arts scene, however small. If the place you are living in doesn't shout in your face about what it has to offer, just get out and find it for yourself.
- You will feel a mixed sense of both pride and shame regarding the American South. Obviously I can only speak for Columbia, South Carolina
when I say this, but the mix of people I came across was truly
eye-opening. They varied from being staunchly conservative to
in-your-face liberal and lots in between. However, although I was
witness to LGBT pride parades and 'indie' arts festivals, I also saw
homophobic protesters, pro-life picketers and a tonne of fundamentalist
christian propaganda. Although there were many African-American students
at USC, all the housekeeping staff and the caterers were also
African-American, whereas the majority of my lecturers were not. You can't deny that the south has come a long way in the last fifty years, but it still had progress to make.
a postcard for sale in Charleston - why would you want to send this?!
- Sometimes you will feel like you're in a film. I'm not afraid to admit that a major reason why I chose to study American history was my favourite film Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, even though I probably should be deeply ashamed of that fact. The film is set all around the American West, mainly in the national parks, and so visiting Yosemite and the Grand Canyon was like visiting the set (of an animated film, wowza). If you haven't seen it, don't judge it by the awful trailer, go listen to the soundtrack by Bryan Adams and pretend you are a wild horse living in the pre-commercialised wilderness of the American west.
The main thing I would tell my past self is that you will be ok...you will be more than ok. You will have an amazing year of travelling, meeting new people, embracing a different culture, getting used to being constantly sweaty, trying fried just-about-anything, tailgating, being underage again, and screaming GO COCKS and meaning it.
Now if only I could have the same message of confidence to send to my future self.....
xxxx
