There is little cultural difference
between Allegheny and my host destination. Beaufort is a small town that can be
reached by foot from the labs island with small local restaurants and shops.
Other transportation is primarily your own car or hitching a ride with a friend
very similar to how many students get around Meadville. Food wise I actually
miss Brooks and McKinley’s. The food here is delicious but options are limited and
repetitive. There’s not much in the ways of healthy choices and rarely is
anything fresh or local. This type of
eating is available within Beaufort and Carteret County but not for those of us
on a meal plan.
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| Dock at the marine lab |
One of the biggest corollaries to
Allegheny I’ve made is the lack of farming replaced by the abundance of fishery-based
income. Farming is a popular way of life for many in the area surrounding
Meadville. This parallels to the importance of the fishing industry in the area
surrounding Beaufort. The classes here utilize this relationship very much like
some ES classes I’ve previously taken. Professors take students out to talk to
those working within the industry and those in charge of creating the rules and
policies they have to follow.
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| Students from the marine lab at the UNC vs. Duke game in the tenting area. |
With only 40 undergraduates total
and about a third away on travel courses for large portions of time clothing
and style isn’t a high priority. Sweatpants and t-shirts are welcome as well as
a more put together looks it’s really up to the discretion of the student. The
lab is currently in the process of interviewing for a new director and even then
lunch meetings they asked us to partake in are not formal. The environment here
is very relaxed when intermingling with peers and superiors.
A benefit of being at the marine lab is that I get to experience some of the atmosphere of a large D1 university. Although it doesn't involve religion and faith one of the biggest traditions of Duke is the basketball rivalry between them and UNC. Students can tent from almost the beginning of the spring semester until this game to get a prime spot in the student section. This weekend I got to be apart of this tradition and attend the game.
It seems like you are are having a great time Aub! I found similar differences here when it comes to sports. At Lancaster we are all split into 9 colleges (like houses in Hogwarts) and we all compete in sports against each other. I live with the Grizedale football captain, and therefore have become friends with most of the team. Going to their games has been quite the experience. There is a lot of yelling and face painting. Last week we had a giant hog roast (because the boar is our mascot) before going down to the fields to watch the game. This is very different form Allegheny, where there is little attention put on sports. I will admit that it has been fun!
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