Well, I'm nine weeks into my summer here in North Myrtle Beach, SC, and I still get a ton of questions about "what it's like" here. This is a list that I compiled that basically shows "what it's like" here.
1. Humidity. I'm constantly swimming in the air here. It's SO THICK. Also, it's salty, because, ya know, I live 330 feet from the ocean. I have never experienced humidity like this before. And I thought Minnesota humidity was bad! As soon as I step outside of my air conditioned house, literally THE MOMENT I step outside, I am sweating. All the time. Every moment of every day.
2. Cigarettes. A large percentage of the population here smokes cigarettes. I think it's a general "southern" thing. They come through my drive through at McDonald's and blow smoke in my face, because I guess that is normal here. It threw me off at first, but now I've sort of accepted it. However, it's still really sad when I see young people here smoking. Also, many people here are missing teeth. Like, that's not just a southern stereotype... that's a real thing. And I think it's because everybody smokes.
3. Confederate flags. I'm sure you heard the news about the Charleston SC shooting, and the subsequent decision to take the confederate flag off of courthouse grounds, but that was so aggressively protested here. These southerners love their confederate flag! I don't think I ever saw a confederate flag flying in someone's yard or car or window or FB profile in SD or MN, but now it's normal to see them everywhere. Lots of times, I'll see pickup trucks driving around with giant confederate flags sticking out the back of their truck bed. The people here just see no problem with waving giant confederate flags around everywhere. So strange. I really, honestly, didn't think that the confederate flag was anywhere anymore.
4. Sweet tea. Everyone drinks a large sweet tea with everything. The normal southerner drink: a large sweet tea, extra ice, add lemon. I think I make 1000000000 of those per day at McDonald's. I don't get the hype. It just tastes like water with a leafy aftertaste + loads of sugar tossed in.
5. Nails. Like those long, fake nails that people tap on everything. When I hand food out the drive thru window, some people will accidentally brush my hand when they're grabbing their food, or accidentally grab my hand with their food, then I feel their long nails scraping against my skin, and I shudder inside and cry a little. But, their nails usually have fun designs, so that's a plus! Or, they're just gross, long, and yellowing. Blech. Long nails are not something I'll miss when I go back to MN.
6. "Miss". I call most of my managers at McDonald's "Miss _____". It sounds strange to call them by their first name without a "Miss" in front of it. In return, I am usually called "love", "boo", "baby", "babygirl", "darlin'", or "babe", both by my managers at work and random middle-aged men in the drive thru, because apparently that's normal here. At first I thought it was super creepy and weird, but now when a 50 year old man calls me "baby" in front of his wife, I can take it in stride.
7. Sea creatures. I see sharks semi-often. Lots of people catch sharks while fishing. They're gross to touch (they feel kind of rubbery), but maybe that's just me, because I hate fish. I also see a lot of jellyfish while walking on the beach. I've learned which ones are dangerous and which ones aren't. Sometimes, the beach lifeguards play catch or dodgeball with the non-dangerous jellyfish. We also see lots of stingrays, especially in the inlet. Ew. Also, just yesterday, a crab pinched my foot while I was swimming in front of Sam's lifeguard chair. I totally played it cool (okay, so I ran out of the water screaming at the top of my lungs and jumped onto Sam and hyperventilated for a little bit, but like, that's cool, right?) (<-- yes, that really happened).
So, that's about it. South Carolina is a very, very strange foreign country (it seems like). I'm excited to be back in Minneapolis, but not excited to leave here. Even though many things here are difficult to relate with, I've learned to love the south :)
