Well, here we are in late March--a time that brings with it several significant milestones for Team WestEnders. First, Derek has just one grading quarter remaining in his High School career. (Gulp...) And on a related note, we're just over a month out from official Decision Day, by which point he'll have to choose once-and-for-all where he wants to attend college in the Fall. With this in mind, Derek wanted to revisit both of his favorites one more time--to get a fresh look at each of them, to gauge whether his feelings shifted with another in-depth campus...research excursion...and to judge them based on the criteria he’s developed and refined during this whole process.
So to recap, we did James Madison last month, on a cold, gray, drizzly day. And when we’d finished shivering our way through many hours of tromping around the grounds, making sure we explored every inch of the place...he declared that he hadn’t changed his mind, and that it was still a strong contender. So, that brings us up-to-date...and now University of South Carolina would take its turn in the spotlight. I was particularly excited about this one, since I hadn’t been involved in the initial foray into Gamecock territory, and would therefore be experiencing the school for the first time.
We prepared for our...storming of the South, if you will...by registering for the Admitted Students Day program...securing a place to sleep...confirming the driving directions...um...and packing, I guess. As getaways go, this one seemed super-easy...until we hit a hellish construction fiasco on I-85 around Charlotte, which slapped an extra hour onto our travel time. Grr…
Nevertheless, we eventually arrived, and found ourselves pleasantly well-situated for a short jaunt over to campus the following morning. And I’ve gotta say, although Derek would tell you the activities kicked off faaaaaar too early for his taste (that would be “9:15 a.m.”, if you’re wondering….which to be honest is probably equivalent to “the bum-crack of dawn” on the teenage clock), from the moment he strolled up to the check-in table, he seemed very happy to be there. (Did it have anything to do with the swag bag he received, which contained a coupon he could use to buy a souvenir in the bookstore, PLUS earbuds with the mascot's logo? Perhaps…)
Since we’d actually arrived about 30 minutes before our information session was set to begin (I know, right? GASP! Statistically, I suppose it's bound to happen once in a while…), we had plenty of extra time to wander around and...look at stuff. Derek pointed out the Visitor’s Center, the library, and some dorms--all of which he remembered from his first visit, which is pretty impressive. He reported with amusement that he’d spotted several people that he knew from his High School, walking in the distance ahead of us. But the weirdest coincidence had to be when we were approached by a family that we knew...from our previous hometown in Maryland! We had lived down the street from them, and our sons had gone to school together from pre-k until we moved...and then we ran into them in a whole other state. Small. World.
Anyway, our meeting took us to one of the far edges of campus, which was a good starting point to then meander back through the rest of USC's extensive territory. Of course, our agenda did have priorities...such as allowing ample time for Derek to pick out (yet another) t-shirt from the bookstore's extensive collection of gear. While we were there, we also made sure to walk through the rest of the Student Union, to get an idea of what food and other offerings there were. Finally, at the opposite extreme of campus, lay the Wellness Center, which Derek particularly wanted me to see...and admire. Admittedly, it IS a beautiful structure, filled with an array of equipment and a plethora of spaces to play and work out.
More importantly, though, as Derek and I chatted--and pounded the pavement--through the morning and afternoon, I couldn’t help but notice the way he kept referring to the university, its sports teams, and its denizens as “WE”--as in “I can’t wait for when we play Georgia in Week 2 (of the college football season) next year!” Tired as he was, his perpetual smile never dimmed, and he just seemed...utterly content. So I finally commented/queried, “It sounds like you’ve pretty much made up your mind?” Faced with such directness , he (not surprisingly) hemmed and hawed a bit, “Well...I’m not declaring just yet." Then he relented, "Buuuut...it’s my #1.” When I pressed him to elaborate, he replied, “I’m not sure I can explain it.” Then he laughed ruefully and added, “Okay, I’m gonna pull a ‘you’, here, and say that it just...feels right.” (Oh, I GET you, son. And that totally does sound like me…) I tried to clarify for him, “You mean you’re comfortable here, and feel like you belong?” “YES--that’s it! he agreed.
Alrighty, then--that was (eventually) illuminating! And then, with the deep discussion out of the way, we made our final stop for the day: Williams Brice stadium, since Derek didn’t feel he could leave town without paying paying his respects to the football team's home field. It lies 2 miles off campus, so we drove in the general direction, then snuck into a parking spot at a Bojangles next door (Shhhh!), so we could get out and do a pedestrian lap around it. Then, having satisfied his inner fan boy, Derek proclaimed that his goals had been met, and he was ready to head for home...using the alternative, straight-line route that skips the highway nonsense altogether, that is.
And yes, the back roads on a Saturday afternoon did prove to be traffic-free and smoothly moving--albeit severely...depressing. I mean, they take you through some rural areas of South Carolina whose ramshackle houses, crumbling trailer parks, and shuttered, decaying buildings all combine to give off an aura of crushing poverty. It’s NOT what you might call a "scenic drive", I’m telling ya. However, it did make us that much more grateful to get back to Chapel Hill, to be sure.
So...now that all of the data-gathering has been done, this just leaves us waiting for Derek to make whatever kind of formal announcement he intends to spring on us (and his public...such as it is)...so we can then send a deposit to one of those venerable institutions, and reserve his spot in the Class of 2022. If you wanna hang out with me, I’ll be over here...holding my breath… (Just kidding! More like “drinking tea”...or “eating chocolate”--you’re still welcome to come, though. And just think, we only have to bide our time until...oh yeah, May 1st. Hmm, could you bring some more Lipton...and Ghirardelli?)
No comments:
Post a Comment