Week 8 & 9

Hello everyone, sorry for posting relatively late. It has been a chaotic week with finals here and all my assignments due. I have a final exam on Wednesday, Thursday, and two essays due Friday. I'll be extremely busy this week, but on Saturday I'm flying back home to Columbia to officially start spring break and won't be back in Oregon until March 31st to start the spring term. I can't believe I'm already halfway done! Time has gone by so fast, but I've really been grateful for the experience so far. I have learned a lot about myself and it feels extremely rewarding. The weather today was the first time since I got here that it reached over 45 degrees and it was sunny. Everyone on campus today was in a great mood and the University really felt alive. I met two guys from Idaho and had lunch with them. It was interesting to hear about their experience growing up in Idaho and their perceptions of the South. It seems like everyone from the West only knows South Carolina because of Myrtle Beach or because they were the first state to secede from the Union. I learned that potatoes are sacred to people in Idaho (not really but kind of) and they're only known for Napoleon Dynamite. Nonetheless, I'm happy that the cold is finally gone and I'm entering the second term. I'm curious to see what events they have to offer for spring activities. I also went to a party last week. The parties here are completely different than the ones at the University of South Carolina. At USC, students mainly go to five points or frat parties but here house shows are a big thing. House shows are where local bands go to someone's house and perform various songs while students mingle and have a good time. Maybe that's a thing at USC but I've never seen it since I don't party too much. Anyways, I'll probably post this Friday night before I catch my flight and recap finals week and my thoughts on my first term in Oregon. Until then,




-Ben

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