Omo, see as Evelyn dey shake body for UF, e no easy o!
Dis babe wey come from Trinity College for Dublin just land for Gainesville, and the gist wey she dey drop na pure fire! She talk say she don dey use her suitcase like office, half unpacked, and she still dey try gather her life. Abeg, we sabi how e be for new place.
First of all, she carry come talk about di scale of UF. Na serious big campus wey fit contain everything wey you fit think of: buses, police, gyms wey be like mini stadiums, and buildings wey fit start own weather system! For her own home, di school dey mix with di city. But for here, na so di university don become di city! Wahala!
Den she come yarn about how people dey greet am like dem sabi am well well. If person ask, ‘How you dey?’ dem go dey wait for di answer! Unlike wey we dey blend dey side, abi? She even get ‘ma’am’ call for her first day wey make her feel some type of way – small respect, big age vibes! Di temperature for this side na another ball game. Outside dey hot like suya, inside dey freeze like freezer! Who sabi say Florida winter go need jumper?
As she dey carry waka, she come realize say walking for here nah like adventure. Small distance wey look near for map fit turn wahala. For Nigeria, we dey waka like say na normal level, but for Gainesville, na planning work be dat!
Classroom culture sef dey pepper am small. People dey chop mouth like dem dey form gist, even if dem no sure. For Ireland, na silence dey dey reign, but for here, as you dey talk maggi wey no get measure, you dey part of di process! Na so she don turn ‘di Irish one’ too, with her accent wey dey make people wan hear more from her.
Evelyn dey start dis column to share how dem dey adjust to new environment. She wan talk am as e be: wetin dey easy, wetin dey hard, and wetin she miss wey no wey she expect. If you don dey UF, you go sabi everything wey she dey talk about. Na wetin new people dey face, you go fit relate! If you want gist with am, fit contact her for eocarroll@alligator.org or follow am for X @evelynocarroll.
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