I am a very aggressive walker, something that I always attribute to being from the northeast. Being from the city of Boston, I have grown up walking with my eyes straight ahead, maneuvering myself around and through the crowd as quickly as possible. This is probably crazy, but the slow walking is really the only thing I was worried about coming down to the South. There is a large population of Northerners who believe that the North is the center of the universe. They grow up there, they go to school there, and they settle down there to have kids and never leave. I actually do not understand this mindset whatsoever, but it’s what I was dealing with when I came down to UVA.
But what could you not love about being down here? First of all, the friendly nature of people is the greatest thing that has happened since the combo of peanut butter and chocolate. Unlike when I’m careening through the city, I actually smile during my day. I learn people’s names, and I say hello to them. After being here for only a month, it seems really weird to not greet people on the street, or ask people how they are when you buy your morning coffee. My stress levels from morning to night are so much less—it’s what smiling does to ya. One of the things that seemed most bizarre to me coming down here was dressing up for the football games. Still when my friends from home see pictures on Facebook of me at the games they always comment something like, why does everyone there dress so nicely for the game? Is that a UVA thing? Yes! It is! But I think it’s fantastic! I don’t really understand why people look down on this tradition when they don’t understand it, but I think people are just jealous.
My main point is I wish that more people would leave their cold, Northern areas (really, it’s freezing up there, so this would be another reason to come down here, simply for the weather) and incorporate some aspects of Southern life into theirs. Maybe people will stop asking me then why I would ever want to leave Boston to go to college and realize that beyond the fantastic academics, the South often has a better atmosphere. What could possibly be wrong with friendliness and dressing nicely? Despite needing to work on my constant power-walking, I am enjoying the slowing down. And while I do love my city (Go Red Sox!) I think a break from the rushed, stressful atmosphere is fantastic, and (because I have so much authority) I prescribe it to everyone.