Growing up in Charleston, South Carolina, I have become familiar with many customs of the south. Waving to strangers in passing, holding the door for the person behind you, and hearing “bless your heart” as you walk down the street are signs that you’ve arrived to the welcoming and hospitable land of the south. While this is familiar to me, many of my Furman friends from other parts of the country had an adjustment period to this southern culture. However, each of my friends traveling far from home to attend Furman have loved and embraced the culture in which we live. In the land where the tea is sweetened (heavily), there is a lot to be thankful for. I’ll list just a few for you!
The biggest perk that my friends from around the country point out is the winters. For the northerners, they love how mild it is. For my friends even further south than where we are, they love that we have four seasons! The winter definitely exists in Greenville, and we get snow once or twice a year. It happens just enough so that we have a few snow days, but then it melts and we all get back to our normal schedule. I’ve been able to experience one snow day every year since being at Furman, and some of my favorite memories have come from those days we all get a break from classes and have the best excuse to run around campus having fun. 🙂
The southern hospitality in Greenville is also hard to beat. People are proud to be from Greenville and are proud to have Furman as their hometown University. There are discounts for Furman students all over town, and coming from the broke college student perspective, it’s nice to have a little discount when taking those off-campus excursions. Even wearing my “FU” t-shirt around town always brings smiles to people’s faces in passings, and sometimes I hear a “Go Dins!” shouted from across the street!
Lastly, there really is nothing like South Carolina sunshine. After growing up here, I can tell you from experience that South Carolina has rightfully earned its name as “The Sunshine State.” Right now, the days are warming up and the sun is shining brighter than ever. This encourages students across campus to take advantage of the many opportunities we have to enjoy the beauty of our campus, from walks around the lake and playing sand volleyball in the South Housing field, to studying on the porch of the library and taking photo opportunities in front of the blossoming trees and bushes.
In each season, Furman and Greenville shows off their beauty in a different way. The people here quickly become family and will make you want to stick around the South, even as your college days come to a close! Come visit us and see for yourself. 🙂
Until next time,
Colleen