Saturday, July 28, 2012

From SC to NC...

I'm Caitlyn and I'm currently a senior psychology major at USC! This semester I'm participating in a student exchange and will be attending NC State! You'll be able to follow my life over the next six months as I move out of state for the first time. In this blog I'll most likely talk about the differences I notice between the Carolinas, probably some stories of me getting lost in Raleigh, and heck- even getting lost on campus! You think USC's campus is big? It's maybe half of NCSU. (So there will probably be a few blogs of me complaining about having to walk too much.) Oh & you'll most likely hear about my sweet little Abby a lot too! Yes, I am one of those people that makes my dog wear cute outfits, raincoats, and bows. You'll learn to live with it- she has!

Over the summer I took a weekend vaca to NC to check out the campus, try to figure out where my classes were so I didn't look like a lost freshman, and explore the city! I've already learned a few things from my trip just from a weekend visit...

1.  EVERYTHING on campus is made of bricks. Yes, EVERYTHING. It's ridiculous. Like sidewalks, benches, even random sculptures. Obviously all the buildings as well. I learned from a friend that apparently there's some alumni who donates bricks to the school every single year (some ridic amount of bricks) and as long as the school uses every single one, they'll keep getting the donation. When they don't use them all, the donation will stop. Not sure how true this is, or if I even told the story right, but I'll be sure to find out when I get there!
2. NC does not know how to make sweet tea like SC. I will be keeping a list of all the places that have acceptable sweet tea. What can I say? I've been spoiled with my extremely sweet sweet tea all my life and I'm picky! SINS. 
3. Everyone that I've spoken with on campus (while trying to figure out parking, credits, hours, classes, and schedules) has been ridic nice & extremely helpful! They've gone out of their way to help in any way possible. Not saying any names but that's one thing a few people on our campus could learn from NCSU... Where's the southern hospitality SC?! We need to step it up.
And finally....
4. People in NC do not get nearly as excited as we do in Columbia when "Wagon Wheel" is played. This made me sad. I'm not sure when the obsession began in SC but I'll just have to look ridiculous this semester when I'm singing/screaming the lyrics at the top of my lungs all alone. Oh well.