MS 39202

Coming to the US, and in particular the South, felt a bit like jumping out of a plane without a parachute. Talk about not being prepared – I only got my visa the day before I left to go to Cork for Christmas. I had been so nervous that it wouldn’t come through on time, I didn’t really let myself think about the 3 months I would spend here. After a frantic few days packing (thank you Mr Bedford, your skills were much appreciated!) and an emotional farewell at the airport (not so much thanks for that one, Steve) I was suddenly on my way South. Reese Witherspoon said in a movie once ‘People need a passport to come down here’ and I certainly felt like I was voyaging into lands unknown.

Perhaps it was the gun-toting, bible-quoting stereotype that had me a bit concerned but I wasn’t quite sure what to expect of Mississippi. As one of the other interns joked: Welcome to the deep south.  Bring your bibles, mind your Ps and Qs and please ensure that your truck is gassed up and your shotgun is loaded.

 

However having been here a couple of weeks now, I can happily say there is more to Mississippi that trucks, bibles and guns!

Jackson is the capital of Mississippi and although downtown has a somewhat beige and unpopulated feel to it (it is merely the business district and quiet even on a work day), the rest of Jackson is not without its charms. Belhaven, where I live, is a quiet old-residential area. Picture clapboard houses, porches and rocking chairs. Belhaven College is across the road from my house. The campus has a lake and seating areas and the pathways around the college provide for a useful jogging route (for when I’m feeling virtuous!). When the sun shines it is a lovely place to take a book, sit on a swing seat under the shade of a tree and while away an hour or so (I have actually not yet done that, but every time I pass by I think of it, maybe this weekend!)

Fondren is an area above Belhaven, and to me, most closes resembles ‘town’. Consisting of a 2 block radius, Fondren plays host to a few coffee shops, restaurants, antique and vintage stores as well as Brents Drugs (a 50s diner, as seen in The Help). I particularly like ‘Babalu’, a bar/restaurant with its own unique Southern take on tapas and the best margaritas I have had in ages! 

So far my Mississippi adventure has meant good food and friendly people, but more on that later…