Easter Weekend in Virginia

With one week to go before I pack up my suitcases and clean my little dorm room here in South Carolina, I guessed it was about time to get back on my blog and start documenting some of my final thoughts and memories. Perhaps, I’m just trying to procrastinate from the mountain of essays that need to be completed in the next week and the hotels and flights I’m still yet to book for my travels, but if I’m planning on sitting in my pyjamas all day eating Trader Joe’s cookie butter out the jar with a very large spoon, I might as well blog at the same time!

You will all be ecstatic, I’m pretty sure of it, to know that I’ve managed to cross off another State last weekend when I was invited home by one of my swimming team mates, Caroline, to Virginia. To say that life has been manic this past month would be a massive understatement. So when Caroline kindly asked if I wanted to venture up to Virginia for Easter weekend I jumped at the opportunity!

Virginia’s mountainous landscape was absolutely beautiful, surrounded by deciduous and evergreen trees. We went hiking on a part of the Blue Ridge Mountain Ridgeway, ate until our stomachs hurt and copiously laughed throughout the weekend. Caroline’s family had recently inherited a lake house on Smith Mountain Lake so I was fortunate enough to get to visit the house on the lake as well. To make the trip even better, Caroline and I went jet skiing! Although it was a little nippy, Caroline acted as my wind shield as I frantically wrapped my arms around her waist holding on for dear life as we sped off into the distance. Who needs a boyfriend to cuddle when Caroline’s around? Although, I’m sure our swim team mates would agree Caroline is not one for cuddling. At every swim meet we’ve attended this year, Caroline and I always end up sharing rooms and I get the same amount of grief from her every time. “Alice you better stick to your side of the bed”, then “Did you just touch me with your foot”, but I just want to cuddle Caroline! It’s actually rather funny! Who would have thought back in August when I met this blonde babe on poolside for the first swim training session of the year that come the end of year we would have become such close friends? This year abroad has truly been made special by the wonderful people I’ve befriended, and I’m sure without them I would have had a very different kind of year.

I don’t want to get too soppy. After all, I still have another month or so left in the States. But, with attending my very last class at this University on Monday I can’t help but reflect what a fun adventure I’ve had thus far. So before I reach for the tissue box and organise my last farewells, I know the friendships I’ve made here in Columbia will continue to thrive long after my Year Abroad ends. That is, as long as I actually get a job after completing my degree so I can afford little trips over the pond! 

Southern Hospitality

Before I moved to the South, I was informed by friends and family to embrace ‘the Southern hospitality’. This phrase is generally used to describe the stereotypical warm, sweet, and welcoming nature of Southerners, and has definitely been out in full force throughout the course of my Year Abroad.

A couple of weeks ago, after a stressfully long rehearsal, my close friend Rachael and I, decided that we were in need of a large glass (or four) of wine to accompany our girlie downtime. We went to the local ‘liquor’ store near campus and were pondering, as you do, over which bottle to choose. Red or white? Dry or Fruity? Merlot or Shiraz? Cheap or Expensive? Screw top or Cork? As we chatted and debated over what bottle best fitted our current mood, Rachael realised we would have to purchase a screw top because her ex-boyfriend stole their bottle opener when he moved out. Just typical! All the screw top bottles were so much more expensive. How selfish of him! As we cursed Jeff for taking the bottle opener, another woman paced the red wine aisle, looking for the perfect bottle. We finally agreed on a delicious Merlot, slightly more than we were willing to pay, but without a bottle opener we didn’t have much choice. Upon reaching the ‘check-out’ line, the same woman who had previously been in the red wine aisle approached Rachael and I and bluntly claimed; “Girls, I am going to buy you two a bottle opener”. After a few moments of delayed confusion, she continued; “I couldn’t help overhearing your conversation about Jeff, so I’m going to buy you a wine corkscrew”. Apparently, she had recently read an article about going out your way to help total strangers and she was waiting for her ‘good Samaritan’ moment. We laughed, we smiled, and gratefully accepted her offer. Although, I doubt she was going to let us say no. “So you never have to buy a screw top again!” she continued, “This can be your ‘screw Jeff’ bottle opener”. After profusely thanking her, I realised she was just one of many American’s I’ve met that fit this stereotype of ‘Southern hospitality’. So, not only is Rachael now the proud new owner of a fab bottle opener, the wine tasted ten times nicer because of her spontaneous act of kindness. Turns out there are some lovely strangers in the least expected places!  

My Grandma

I’ve been wanting to write this blog post for a while now but I could never really find the words. Death makes people act in peculiar ways. Some people cry, some question, some bottle it all up. At first, I asked myself whether a post like this was fitting on Year Abroad blog. My Grandma never visited South Carolina; in fact, I don’t even think she ever had the chance to come to the States at all. So how could a post purely based on my Grandma have anything to do with the culture shock I endure pretty much every other day?

Well, here’s the thing; my Grandma was a very kind, generous and loving lady, whom which I was rather fond of. Even writing the word ‘was’ hurts. She inspired us all to do our best and take every opportunity life throws at you. So when she passed away a few weeks ago whilst I was over 4000 miles away from home it really affected my Year Abroad experience. It’s been a challenging few weeks, to say the least. Not only have I been training for Swim Club Nationals in Atlanta, rehearsing for the Musical ‘Legally Blonde’, studying, reading, competing and socialising, I’ve also been grieving and had to take a week out my hectic schedule to fly back to London.

The feelings of guilt, uselessness and sadness have been constantly at the back of my mind. Whilst Skype is a fantastic invention, there’s nothing quite like walking through arrivals at Heathrow and being greeted with massive hugs from both your parents. The fact that I was at home this time last week seems totally bizarre. Now I’m back in sunny South Carolina, my short trip home feels even more make-believe and surreal.

The funeral was a beautiful service. And although I sat and cried throughout most of it, I somehow managed to compose myself (for all of three minutes), stand up in front of the odd 100 people at the service and sing. It was probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. But, it was a perfect way to say goodbye. There’s not really much more I can say. I originally started to write this blog with the intention to update my friends and family back home with my American life, so I felt that I couldn’t really miss an event like this off the list. I thought I’d end this post with the last part of my mum’s speech – she was so eloquent, and so brave, therefore, it seems fitting.

‘My mum was:

                A granddaughter

                a daughter,

                a supportive sister,

                a loyal cousin,

                a loving wife,

                an interested  great-aunt,

                a wonderful mother,

                a generous auntie

                a thoughtful mother in law

                an awesome grandma

                and a kind, tactful friend

                my extraordinary brave mum.’

Jill Overall

18th September 1937 - 17th March 2014