Living in Jackson, MS
I spent eight months living in the Deep South of America while completing my MSc in Neuropsychopharmacology. I worked in Jackson, Mississippi, with four of my classmates, and loved every minute of it (apart from the ferocious sunburn and nobody understanding what I was trying to say, ever. Apparently I have an indecipherable Irish accent – this has also afflicted me on various outings in the UK, most notably when I was in Leeds and trying to buy a ticket on a bus).
I don’t know why I chose to go to the Deep South… I think my reasoning was that I may never get the opportunity to visit that part of the world again, so why not? I’ve never been anywhere else in North America, apart from San Francisco (also quite wonderful!), but from talking to other people, I think it truly is a unique place. We were so lucky because we made great friends who showed us around, including bringing us to various blues bars all over Jackson (the highlight being one underground place that was condemned and had black polythene sheets nailed to all the walls and ceilings that became covered in condensation as the evening wore on and proceedings started to steam the place up).
We also got to travel all over; three hours on I55 North brings you to Memphis, while three hours South hits New Orleans. And the food! I gained approximately two stone (I’m not joking) while I was there… I loved Southern food: biscuits (scones) for breakfast; IHOP; ice-cream sodas at Brent’s Drugstore; Domino’s pizza (before we could get it in Ireland); cheesy Doritos (ditto); Aunt Bessie’s; the Pillsbury Doughboy. To balance all of that, I consumed vast quantities of fresh watermelon and corn on the cob. Good times...
I don’t know why I chose to go to the Deep South… I think my reasoning was that I may never get the opportunity to visit that part of the world again, so why not? I’ve never been anywhere else in North America, apart from San Francisco (also quite wonderful!), but from talking to other people, I think it truly is a unique place. We were so lucky because we made great friends who showed us around, including bringing us to various blues bars all over Jackson (the highlight being one underground place that was condemned and had black polythene sheets nailed to all the walls and ceilings that became covered in condensation as the evening wore on and proceedings started to steam the place up).
We also got to travel all over; three hours on I55 North brings you to Memphis, while three hours South hits New Orleans. And the food! I gained approximately two stone (I’m not joking) while I was there… I loved Southern food: biscuits (scones) for breakfast; IHOP; ice-cream sodas at Brent’s Drugstore; Domino’s pizza (before we could get it in Ireland); cheesy Doritos (ditto); Aunt Bessie’s; the Pillsbury Doughboy. To balance all of that, I consumed vast quantities of fresh watermelon and corn on the cob. Good times...