Moving from the North to the South can seem like traveling to a whole new world. Take it from a girl who left her fast-paced, Chicago lifestyle to move down to the slow-moving, BBQ-eating, sweet tea-drinking state of South Carolina. After living in the South now for two years, I can confidently point out the aspects of southern culture that shocked me the first few months of living here.

1. Southern dialect.

The South has a very unique dialect that takes a while to get used to. While southern children are raised to answer their elders by responding with a "yes, sir" or "yes, ma'am," I was raised to answer back with a simple "yes" or "no." A few months into living in the South though, I found myself naturally calling my professors "sir" and "ma'am." The phrase "y'all" is also commonly used in the South. After getting weird stares from my southern friends when I said, "hey guys," I quickly switched from my northern slang and referred to groups of people as "y'all."

2. Southerners LOVE football.

There is nothing more popular to do in the South on Fall weekends than to tailgate and watch college football.The first college football game I attended, I was clueless as to what a tailgate even was; yet, as I watched my southern friend scarf down her breakfast while simultaneously raving about her love of tailgating, I could only assume it was a big deal.

3. "Cookout" is not an actual cookout.

Cookout is a popular fast-food restaurant in the South that is the equivalent to McDonald's in the North. Do not be fooled by the name though, the first time my friend asked me if I wanted to go to Cookout, I was so excited because I thought we were going to someone's backyard cookout. Needless to say, I was a little confused as we pulled into a fast-food restaurant that offered 40-plus milkshake flavors.

4. Southern food.

Gone are the Chicago hot dogs and deep dish pizzas. Instead, I found myself trying sweet tea, fried chicken, grits, fried okra, BBQ, and hush puppies. Although the South has delicious food, many people would call a typical southern meal a "heart attack on a plate." It is almost impossible to attend an event on campus that does not have pulled pork, beans, and biscuits.

5. Southern style.

After the first few months of attending class, I quickly realized that my northern wardrobe of short-shorts and crop tops were not acceptable. My friends introduced me to clothing items and accessories like frockets, croakies, and monograms. They also informed me that my school spirit T-shirts were not acceptable at football games (shoutout to my mom who mailed me all of my dresses and cowgirl boots I had left at home). Instead, girls wear dresses and cowgirl boots while boys can be found in bow ties and button ups. Although southern girls love Lilly Pulitzer, I have yet to jump on that bandwagon.

So yes, moving to a new place can be scary, especially when it means adjusting to a new culture. But even though I miss non-humid Chicago summers, I would not trade living in the South for anything. I love the culture and am happy to call South Carolina my home.