I thought my lungs were about to collapse. I could feel everyone around me staring. I could taste the smell of salt and fat lingering in the air. My legs were about to buckle beneath me, and as I slammed my luggage on the chair, I felt tears rolling down my face. How long had I been crying?
“Are you okay ma’am?” asked a woman nearby.
“Yes thanks, just about, just- recovering,” I panted.
Stripping off my layers and ringing the sweat from my pony tail (yes, really) I felt as though I’d learnt a lifetime’s worth of lessons in just two hours- and I hadn’t even got to South Carolina.
Following my nine- hour flight from Copenhagen to Washington DC, I had under two hours to make my final flight to Columbia. But after baggage reclaim, baggage drop-off and customs took longer than expected. I had just 16 minutes to make it to my next gate. The problem was, it was in another terminal. Five escalators, a train, and 13 straight minutes of sprinting later I made it to my gate with three minutes until takeoff. Void of words, oxygen and any form of socially acceptable human interaction, I slammed my ticket down on the desk and shouted, “COLUMBIA. FLIGHT. COLUMBIA. THIS GATE?”
To my greatest dismay, and utter relief, a woman in the waiting area stood up and said, “It’s delayed”. I looked on the departures board to find my flight wasn’t due for another hour.
This was my first experience of the United States. Since packing my life into two suitcases and leaving England, I’ve now been here a month. As an exchange student from the University of Leeds, England, I’ve experienced life very differently here at USC. Here are my top ten culture shocks from my first month living in the “Land of the Free.”
10) The unwritten rules of “fashion”
One of the first things that struck me when walking round on campus was that all the girls here wear baggy Nike shorts (or ‘norts), baggy T-shirts and flip-flops. It’s not just a craze that’s slowly catching on- it’s almost every single girl you walk past at USC. I totally understand the reasoning behind it because it’s unbearably humid most days, but even wearing a skirt and a nice blouse will provoke double takes all day long.
9) The weather
When I first arrived in South Carolina, I was totally worried that I’d go back home at Christmas hearing, “Oh, you’re really not that tanned, are you?” from my friends and family, as the weather was humid with tropical thunderstorms every day. Luckily, despite the odd shower every now and then (like the insane downpour after we beat UNC) the weather has been glorious after week one. I’m pretty sure I’ve got no friends left at home as they’re so sick of my Snapchats of my days spent sunbathing at the pool. Life’s good!
8) Southern hospitality
The friendliness and warmth of the locals here has been absolutely incredible. Passers-by in the street always greet me, everyone asks how I am, whether I need a hand, a map or even a lift somewhere. Within five minutes of arriving at my accommodation, my flatmate had already invited me home for Thanksgiving. It’s such a change from the hustle and bustle of U.K. cities, where the only thing passers-by are worrying about is how close the next Starbucks is for that precious 8:57am mocha-choca-latte-skimmed-milk-no-cream before work or whether they’ll make the next tube.
7) Food, food, and free stuff
A large portion of my time here has been spent seeking out shops that actually sell fruit and vegetables. The nearest one is a drive away. The union here is full of greasy pizza joints, cookie and milkshake spots and burger bars. Not only this, but I’ve been inundated with invites to welcome events based solely around eating, such as the ‘Ice-Cream Kick-Off’ and “Pizza Welcome,” which bestow these calorific goods upon you for free. I haven’t cracked yet, but I’m determined not to come home at Christmas three stones heavier.
6) Traffic
If almost missing my flight didn’t seem like the end of the world, crossing the roads over here certainly does. They span six lanes wide and are full of huge pick-up trucks, lorries and fraternity drivers flaunting their new wheels. Nobody seems to drive at normal speeds, and the pedestrian lights have a countdown timer which tell you how long you have to cross the road. They may as well read “seconds left to live” while the drivers behind the glass rev as they smell your fear.
5) “Is she Russian?”
I spent my first five days here wondering why I kept hearing the phrase “Is she Russian?” Turns out it’s actually. ‘Is she rushing?’
The sorority culture here is absolutely crazy and definitely something we don’t have at home. My international friends and I hardly said a word on Bid Day because our jaws were dragging behind us on the floor, in awe of the amount of girls screaming, chanting, singing and crying in one place. Back in England, I’m not sure if the majority of students would care about a sorority enough to surrender our British drinking habits for two weeks. I’ll speak for myself…
4) The mighty Gamecocks
When I arrived, I was asked the question, “Have you seen THE HIT?”… and from that moment onwards, I began to get a sense of how much of a big deal the Gamecocks really are. But it’s not the culture surrounding the Gamecocks that’s so much of a shock. It’s the casual use of the word “cock” that’s so strange. T-shirts, caps, hoodies, pencil cases, key rings, towels, duvets- any form of merchandise sold in the shops around campus all feature the word “cock.” Whether it’s “Party Like a Cockstar’, or “Cocks, Cocks, Go Cocks!,” the word just doesn’t seem to be phallic over here. I wonder how long it will be until I stop cringing every time I hear it. Words of advice to USC students- don’t wear your “cock” T-shirts in Europe.
3) Legislation
The legislation against drinking under the age of 21 is tighter than I ever could have imagined. We had a seven-hour orientation session, half of which consisted of warning after warning about drinking fines and penalties. Yet, the legal smoking age is 18…and it’s even younger to be able to drive. So. a 17-year-old can jump in a car, but a 20-year-old can’t consume certain liquids. We aren’t allowed any posters with pictures of alcohol on them, and there will be regular room inspections in our halls. Even if you are 21, you aren’t allowed to drink around minors and the only place you can drink on campus is in your own room. I can’t decide whether coming home from the “Land of the Dry” for Christmas for mulled wine, champagne and vodka will be more of a shock to the system.
2) Size Matters
One of the first things I thought to myself when I landed in America was, “Why is everything so big?’ Despite the fact that I’ve moved to a city that’s smaller than Leeds, it feels ten times bigger than what I’m used to. First of all, the cars are huge. Scrap Ford KAs, minis, and smart cars and exchange them for Jeeps, Hummers and Land Rovers. Then there are the shops. Before entering Walmart, we were given a map of its store plan so we didn’t get lost. But the biggest shock of all has been the food portions. Having bought a salad at my student union on Monday, I kept it in the fridge and ate it for lunch for the next three days. Even my Starbucks order is bigger than usual, and trying to find a sandwich that doesn’t have 10 slices of ham wedged in the middle is becoming a daily mission.
1) Do you know the Queen?
Everyone warned me about this. Being British in the United States is like being One Direction at a One Direction concert. I first noticed it on the plane to Columbia, when I spoke to the man next to me and at least ten people turned around to stare. Everyone swoons over my accent, and I find myself speaking Queen’s English just to ham it up. People have asked me if I know “Wills” and Kate, and when I tell them I’m from a small town they say, ‘Oh yeah, near London, right?’ It does have its benefits, too. A man in the book shop have me a $26 discount, and I made a friend purely because somebody wanted to talk about the English Premier League with me.
I hope the culture shocks continue because after all, I’ve come on study abroad to learn and to plunge myself in at the deep end. I’m in the Deep South for a while now, and can’t wait to see where my next month takes me.
Photo credit: Evelyn Robinson
