I would consider myself a well-traveled person, taking into account the relatively short amount of time I\u2019ve been on the earth.\u00a0 However, there is much of the United States that I have yet to see.\u00a0 This recent week-long break, I visited the Southeast region of the US to look at potential colleges, including Vanderbilt, Davidson, Wake Forest, and Duke.\u00a0 While I learned a lot about each of the schools, I also gained insight into the region, and let me tell you, it is much different from California.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In SoCal, we pride ourselves on our impeccable avocado toast, Starbucks at every corner, and the sunny beach scene.\u00a0 While Starbucks is a trend that carries over, I was hard-pressed to find an avocado, nevertheless a simple side salad, in a restaurant during my trip.\u00a0 The culture in the Southeast is different as well.\u00a0 People there are more easy-going; they take things slow and stop to appreciate the little things.\u00a0 They have a laid-back approach to food, and they\u2019re here to enjoy themselves and to live life.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In California, we tend to focus on the here and now.\u00a0 We want things fast, and we tend to focus on ourselves compared to others.\u00a0 Locals focus on the look, or the aesthetic, in everything.\u00a0 How trendy can I make my latest Instagram post before it looks fake?\u00a0 Can I wear leggings three days in a row so that it seems like I work out a lot?\u00a0 Is that twelve-dollar tofu salad really worth it?\u00a0 The answer is you\u2019re already past that point, nobody believes you go to the gym that much, and no, no it’s not.\u00a0 We ignore those facts, however, and do it anyways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 We take ourselves seriously here.\u00a0 Everyone is careful about what jokes they make and in what context because a comment on a social media post from five years back can be held against you in college.\u00a0 We walk on eggshells to avoid offending anyone, and while I\u2019m all for being kind and considerate of feelings, I also support humor.\u00a0 Our range of jokes we are \u201callowed\u201d to make is seriously limited here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Compare\nthis to the Southeast. From the second I\ngot off the plane into the Nashville airport, I felt just a bit more\u2026free. I could talk a bit louder, laugh a little\nharder, and drive a little slower. People\ndon\u2019t flip a teen girl off in a residential neighborhood for going the speed\nlimit. (true story\u2013 happened to me two days ago. I still haven\u2019t forgiven the guy.) I noticed a difference in my parents as\nwell. They chatted more with strangers\nand were more friendly; in short, they acted how they usually act at home. It made me smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On my\ncollege tours, I noted the usual \u201ccompetitive high school kids glaring at each\nother and sizing up the opposition,\u201d because I was for sure doing the same\nthing. But the actual kids in\ncollege? I\u2019ve never seen happier\npeople. It made me excited for the\nfuture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 One story to leave you with, and then I\u2019ll tackle the chem homework I\u2019ve been putting off.\u00a0 We finish our six-hour drive to the little town of Davidson from Nashville.\u00a0 Thus far, I\u2019m not very impressed.\u00a0 I have a stomachache, the town is tiny, and it\u2019s raining.\u00a0 When my parents say we\u2019re going for a walk to explore the town, my first thought was, \u201cWow, that\u2019ll take all of ten minutes.\u201d\u00a0 Our first stop is into a small bakery called, \u201cBonjour, Y\u2019all!\u201d and they\u2019re giving out free croissants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Needless to\nsay, I decided I liked the town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Twenty\nminutes later, my dad is engaged with the bakery workers about the merits of\nCalifornia croissants versus North Carolina ones, and my mom and I are talking\nabout my college plans with a man from an insurance business next door. We leave smiling, and with a bag of delicious\nbaked goods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I could never imagine that scenario occurring back home.\u00a0 People here are just less\u2026open.\u00a0 They have their lives that they get through, and we have ours, and there\u2019s very little time to stop and chat.\u00a0 People in the Southeast care.\u00a0 They want to be your friend, to know your life story, to give you a reason to smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And for that,\nI\u2019m looking forward to the next time I get to visit, and potentially live for\nthe next for years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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