month one: done

Warning: this post is really long, and while it is informative, it's not that interesting. Soz in advance.

I have now been in South Carolina for just over a month. If this was Warwick today I would be going home for reading week. What I would give to have a reading week right now! I think I was a bit spoilt by Warwick where we had 5 weeks of lectures, a week off, 4 weeks of lectures and then 5 weeks off for Christmas/Easter. By comparison the term here is beginning to look rather long! USC is not big on breaks; having been here since mid-August I will only get two or three long weekends to see me through until thanksgiving which is at the end of November, and the whole term is 17 weeks rather than the 10 I've got used to.

However it really doesn't feel very long ago that we arrived and I think it's mainly because I have classes everyday so I've definitely slipped into a routine and the weeks are becoming a bit of a blur. The reading here is quite ridiculous. We have each class two or three times a week and there is reading for every lesson so as soon as you're finished for one day you have to start on the next lot. Again, a big difference from Warwick's weekly seminars! 

The actual class structure is also different , much more like A-levels or even high school in that we all have individual desks with the teacher at the front very much teaching rather than initiating discussion. Tests are different too. I had my first exam last week and it was 20 multiple choice questions and two small open questions at the end which was a nice change to just having massive essay questions.

The content of my classes is actually really good (for the most part) which helps with the quantity of the reading, although old habits die hard so I'm definitely still way too reliant on good old wiki. A lot of what I'm studying is about South Carolina or places nearby and in one of my modules we are finishing up the semester by studying Kendrick Lamar's album so it's all pretty interesting!

When I left my second year house in the summer I was pretty sure I had packed absolutely everything however I still managed to leave ALL my kitchen utensils and plates etc and didn't even realise until weeks later when my friend went to pick her stuff up and found it all still in the cupboards. I think this shows that cooking is not really my area of expertise; I was fairly reliant on frozen food last year but also, as a veggie, bought fresh fruit and veg two or three times a week. This is absolutely impossible here as the nearest supermarket is about 40 minutes walk away so I can only really justify going once a week, and even then carrying back a huge amount of shopping is hard because of the heat. We've rented a car once so far to go and get food which is a lot better but it's still very different to just hopping off the U1 and nipping into Tesco on my way home.

Eating out here is pretty good though. The service has been so nice at every place we've been so far; the staff at restaurants are in no hurry to take your order and will get you everything you need. Also most places do free refills for drinks and provide free starters. The food price on the menu always looks cheap but I keep forgetting about tax (why don't they just include this on the menu?!) and also tipping, which is much higher than in England (usually about 20%). But the food so far has been good! I even liked grits which are a traditional southern food but one which I had heard mixed opinions about before trying!

We haven't really been out of Columbia much yet except to Asheville but this weekend we are going to Greenville which should be good. The campus here is very much like Warwick in terms of it being a bit like a bubble because it has everything you need (except fresh food but most of the students here are on a meal plan so it's not a big deal) so after a while it can feel like you haven't been in contact with anyone who isn't part of USC. In first year at Warwick I didn't spend much time in leamington during the day so going home for Christmas and Easter was always a bit of a change in that you remembered old people and children actually exist and everything does not revolve around Uni, and it's a bit like that here as well.

A big difference to Warwick cropped up this week when we attended a reception for international students at the Presidents house. Here at USC the President lives slap bang in the middle of campus which is contrast número uno. I haven't got the slightest idea where Nigel Thrift lives. In fact I don't think I know anything about Nigel, other than his annual pay packet and that's only because of all the attention it got for its increase last year, which is the second major difference. At the reception the President gave a speech, and then stayed the whole evening to talk to the students individually. He shook our hands, got all our names and chatted at length about our time here so far and seemed genuinely interested. Another international student mentioned to the presidents wife that a bike would be really helpful and the next day she had an email from the First Lady offering her the use of her own bike. I cannot imagine something like this happening at home!

Even though I've only been here a month, living somewhere like Columbia which is not really very touristy, especially not for international visitors to America, has enabled me to see aspects of the culture and to see America from a view that I think would be very hard to achieve if you were just here on holiday, or even if you were spending longer in a larger, more metropolitan area. Although England and America have a lot of similarities, the longer I'm here, the more subtle differences keep popping up; in opinions, speech, beliefs, and just generally how things are done here.

Overall the first month here has been a good one. I really didn't know what to expect so I can't say it's exceeded my expectations which sounds negative but it's not meant to be. In the scheme of things I haven't been here long at all but I already feel like we've squeezed a lot in. People here have been, for the most part, overwhelmingly friendly and helpful and for me that has been the best part about it so far. The stereotype of Southern Charm really does exist and while it has taken me a bit of time to get used to it, I am so glad that its a true stereotype.

If you actually read down to here you are craaaaaazy as I realise this post is not all that interesting! But I wanted to have a record of how things are going after a month and I'm currently waiting for my washing to finish so this seemed the best way to spend the time!

xxxxx