Being from Massachusetts and going to a school in the South is an experience. I love the North, but the South is just so awesome, although it's very different. Here are 10 things that people from Massachusetts know to be true when they go to a southern school.
1. You talk differently than the people here.
Everyone here says y'all, and has twangy accents. I say things like "wicked" and "bubbler," and most of the time people have no idea what I'm talking about. It's weird to me that people refer to a "bubbler" as this thing called a "water fountain," and call a "rotary" a "round-a-bout" or "traffic circle." It's nonsense.
2. You think 50 degrees is warm, and everyone here disagrees.
Everyone is walking around with big puffy coats and winter boots on when the temperature drops below 60, meanwhile, I'm walking around in jeans and a short sleeve shirt.
3. Everyone here is super polite.
No matter where you go, people say "yes ma'am" and "yes sir." Not saying people at home are rude all of the time, but the people in the South are WAY more polite than anyone at home in Massachusetts, and it's kind of surprising.
4. "Are you from Boston?"
No. I'm not. And I also don't "pahk the cah in Havahd yahd." No one does. Massachusetts is a lot more than just Boston.
5. You miss being able to watch the Patriots play.
Not all of the games are televised down here, especially on campus. Also, everyone here is a Redskins fan. And when you’re asked what football team you like, you get disgusted looks when you say you like the Patriots. (But everyone is just jealous)
6. “You’re from where? Oh wow.”
Yes, I’m from somewhere other than here. Yes, I know it’s far. Yes, I could’ve gone to school back at home. No, I didn’t want to, I wanted to come here.
7. None of your friends know anything about where you’re from, and you don’t know anything about where they’re from.
When my friends talk about different towns and cities they live in, I have no idea where any of those places are, and when I tell them about where I live, they look at me like I’m crazy.
8. “I’m going home for the weekend” is something that you never get to say.
Going home for the weekend isn’t an option. It’s not a quick two-hour drive like most of your friends, so you don’t really go home unless there’s a holiday/break.
9. People in the South have NO idea how to deal with snow.
Back at home, 2 feet of snow? No problem. We’d have plows out and ready before the first snowflake even fell, and we might miss school for a day, depending on how fast the snow fell. Here? 3 inches of snow is the end of the world. No one goes out and drives, school is canceled, and they have to call in plows from D.C.
10. Although it’s different down here, you love it and wouldn’t have it any other way.
I love my home in New England, but down here is home to me too. It’s nice to be able to have my own two little worlds and be able to return to both of them during the year.
I love both of my homes, and I'm so glad I get to have both of them.
