Last week’s weather may have you thinking that it’s finally springtime in Durham, that we’re in the South we’re it’s never cold…but before you get too caught up in the shorts and flip-flops weather, let’s clear a few things up – Duke is not a Southern school.
1. We had four snow days this year
Who knew we even got snow in Durham? I was convinced it was just the South being overdramatic and not knowing where to put the snow, but was soon reassured by friends from home that we, in fact, did get a lot of snow just like they did further North.
2. Not everyone here loves country music
Now I don’t know about you guys, but I came to Duke excited that I could finally find people who would appreciate my music, since my friends from my hometown in New York most certainly did not. That’s not to say no one likes it, but to say I get yelled at when I put on my country playlist is an understatement. And when “Chicken Fried” or some other super pop-ish song comes on, it’s kind of a big deal.
3. Most people are from anywhere but the South (unless it’s North Carolina)
This might be a pretty broad generalization—actually, it definitely is. Still, you have a lot of North Carolinians, a few Texans or South Carolinians, all of that. But there are just as many (if not more) people from New York, New Jersey, and California as from the South as a whole.
4. And even the few Southerners don’t have accents
Despite the fact that many of us have gone home and adopted the term “y’all,” most of the people actually from the South don’t even have accents. It’s a rarity and quite frankly to find someone with a Southern accent, and often just as exciting to find that as it is to find someone with some form of European accent.
5. People don’t dress all that Southern
I think when I came to Duke, I was under the impression that it would be floral dresses, cowboy boots, and hair ribbons everyday. People dress pretty much the same as in New York…and a good portion of the year that includes heavy jackets, scarves, and boots.
I think some people will disagree and say Duke is very southern…but as someone who chose a school in North Carolina with the hopes I could be outside year round and be among the (nonexistent) people in summery dresses all the time, I won’t give in to this idea. And I will continue to say y’all when I go home, pretending that my school is, in fact, very Southern.