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Still picking up the lingo

By Chris Cutchie

Waking up in a different bed is weird for a lot of people, but waking up in a bed 6,000 miles away from your real home is surreal for me, as I have not been away from home that often. I have been here nearly three weeks, and the feeling is still there. The accents are a lot more common to me now, but I am still asked regularly if I would just “talk” by a lot of people.

My accent must be a little strange to many people that I know in Paris, Texas, as a lot of them have not traveled outside the state, let alone the country. By the way, I have recently moved here from Colchester, a town in England, on a golf scholarship to Paris Junior College.

It’s been a massive adjustment of life, but I feel that I have adapted fairly well. Everyone here is really friendly, so it has made me able to be myself. My family is the big thing that I miss, especially my mum and dad. My mum has always been there for me, and as she only works part-time, I got to see her a lot. I miss the home-cooked food I used to get when I got home and the little things, like new sheets and new clothes, that occasionally popped up.

One other thing that is pretty sad to admit is the fact that I miss my friends and the pub. We used to go down to our local two or three times a week, sit in the “beer garden” or play pool or darts and just chill out with a few beers. The drinking age in the UK is 18, so it is not illegal for me.

The nightlife is much slower here, as well. I am used to bright-lighted streets where there are bars, clubs, and restaurants all in one area and where you would see hundreds of your college friends out on a night out and see people you hadn’t seen for ages. I mean change is a good thing, as I have come to a new place, but I definitely have started to miss little things about home. However, on the whole, I am enjoying life at PJC. I am definitely not missing the traditional English winter weather!

Everything is fantastic in the way I have been able to play and practice my golf game every day, so it is a pretty good life. A lot of my friends are very jealous because I have been given the opportunity to come here to get an education in college and in golf. So I must take advantage of the things that have been given to me! Anyway, that is all from me for the moment, but I will speak to ya’ll (picking up the lingo) soon!

Chris Cutchie of Colchester, Essex, UK, is a general studies major and member of the PJC Dragons golf team.

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