I always knew that I wanted to go south when I was applying to colleges. I was sick of the snow and the bitter cold and I knew that I could get away from that if I came down to the south. With all that being said, there are a couple things that I wish I had known before I came down here.

1. Gameday is everything

2. 50 Degrees is "cold"

I’m sorry, but 50 degrees isn’t cold. When you walk outside in the morning with a foot of snow on the ground and it’s 12 degrees, you’ll realize what cold is. My roommates started wearing their Uggs when it was in the 50’s the other day and I was astonished. They bundled up and I was very confused. I thought that the temperature must've significantly dropped. So, I asked them what the temperature was and they said 53 degrees and I just laughed. Back home if it’s that temperature people are in shorts.

3. Fried chicken is only good in the south

I don’t know what it is about southern fried chicken, but it is the best. I will never eat fried chicken anywhere else. Maybe it’s the sweet tea you get with it that makes it so good.

4. You will pick up on y’all

I told myself that this wouldn’t happen, but it for sure did. It’s hard when everyone around you says it all the time. It just happened and there’s no turning back.

5. The humidity is AWFUL

I bought about eight different hair products when I came down to the South because if I didn’t, my hair would be frizzy all the time. I have never experienced anything like this before. The humidity makes it feel so much hotter than it actually is and you just feel icky all the time when it is 100% humid out. I tried to straighten my hair for game day once and it just curled right back up.

6. Calling someone ma'am is not an insult

Back home, when you call someone "ma'am," people think you are calling them old. Down in the south, that is not the case at all. I get called "ma'am" all the time and I'm 19 years old. People are trying to be nice and I promise that ma'am is not an insult.