Nashville, Tenn.

Last Sunday, my family and I set off for Tennessee to visit the Great Smoky Mountains and my university-to-be. I was literally baking in 100+ degree weather the whole time I was there.

To be honest, I didn't really enjoy the trip that much. Perhaps my expectations were too high, but mostly, I'll blame it on Photoshop. As someone who has used Photoshop in designing websites, such as this one (and even then  the photo quality is bad), I should have known earlier. Guess I was just too excited! I know AFS tells us all the time that studying abroad isn't always fun, but it's hard to really imagine that (at least for me).

The Smoky Mountains was our first stop, and it really didn't measure up (no, not anywhere close) to the Grand or Bryce Canyons, which we visited before. Then again, I think we went at the wrong time. Summer in Tennessee is extremely hot/humid, and the trees are all a boring green color. On the bright side, I was able to get some "Smoky Mountain Maple Syrup" for my host family..once I find out who they are.

Then, we went to visit Vanderbilt. The school campus was really nice, although still not equal to what I had seen in pictures. I'm pretty sure the rain and Photoshop had to do with it. I guess I couldn't have expected much after I visited one of the most beautiful campuses in the country (Bryn Mawr College). I was actually pretty close to going to Bryn Mawr, but the financial aid package was impossible to cope with. And Vanderbilt was actually my top choice anyways. Plus, I love the people in Nashville. They are just so darn nice--unlike some -cough- people you find in my area. Well, maybe I can't call them mean, but they surely aren't caring.


Once, I got lost in a mall and asked a middle aged lady if I could borrow her phone for a few seconds to call my mom (since the front desk didn't have a phone). She just stared at me for the longest time, and then walked away without even replying. I mean, I would get it if she said, "No, I'm sorry." But she didn't even respond!  Note, other incidents like this have occurred numerous times. I have found that the bigger the city, the less people care about each other. They rather just get on with their own lives.


Now compare that to good ole Southerners, who go out of their way just to help you (of course, this is a stereotype, but hey, stereotypes are formed for a reason). We are in the car, planning our itinerary/ looking confused at the map..and this old guy parks his car right next to ours, gets out of his car, signals for us to roll down our window, and asks if we need any help. Heck, we didn't even ask for any, and he still helped. And incidents like these didn't just happen once, either. 


Sorry for the digression..back to my college tour.

So this is what I learned about Vanderbilt while I was there:
1. The campus is not really big, especially compared to University of Maryland.
2. Quote from my mom: "Everyone here is a supermodel." Yeah, those girls are really tall, and look like they're from magazines. Then I proceed to learn that Vanderbilt has been ranked as having one of the best looking student bodies by Playboy Magazine. Well. -.- My 4 ft 11 self clearly does not fit in (but I don't fit in anywhere, for that matter).
3. The buildings' exteriors are false facades. The insides look a million times better.
4. The school is technically a "state park."

Finally, my favorite part of the trip: Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center. This place is gorgeous.  If I could live here...-dreams-


My pics are still in my camera, so I'll go retrieve them later :)