"Dirty South Memphis bit*h what! South Memphis what!" Simultaneously shaking her head and stomping her feet, the flushed and bright-eyed freshman shouted the lyrics to one of her favorite hometown songs.
Hey, we all have to do something to remind us of home. The thing is, for some, home is farther than for others. For example, Melissa Shelby Deeney, the afore-described rapper, came to Tufts this year all the way from Memphis, Tennessee.
In a school where 25 percent of the population hails from Massachusetts according to the Princeton Review, Deeney is clearly a minority among the throngs of students from the Northeast. However, she remains a member of a substantial part of the student body coming from regions all over the country and other nations altogether.
Many students from the South report that one of the hardest things about adjusting to the New England culture is facing prejudice or dealing with general assumptions from their Yankee peers.
Michelle Friedman, a senior from Dallas, Texas, said that some of her first encounters with Tufts students were difficult. "People did not take me seriously with my accent - I would be talking in class and they would laugh," she said.
Such a reaction compelled Friedman to alter her speech so that when she is at school, hardly a trace remains. "I had to stop saying 'y'all' and now when I'm here, my accent is pretty much gone," she said.
Both she and Deeney report that other students were shocked to learn that they considered themselves politically liberal. "People were incredulous of the fact that I was from Texas, proud of it and didn't love Bush," Friedman said. "Everyone always thinks that I'm a Republican," Deeney agreed.
Other encounters were more comical. "One person asked me if I owned slaves," Friedman said, laughing.
Students from other regions describe similar culture-shock situations.
"When I tell people I'm from Alaska, I think they have this idea that it's totally uncivilized," said freshman Alyssa Walsh of Anchorage, Alaska. "They think we live in igloos and that there are Eskimos running around. They think it's so different, but it's really not. I come from a city and everything."
Students from other cold climates are subject to the same reactions. "The first thing people ask me is, "Do you ski?" said sophomore Christine Gary of Colorado Springs, Colorado. "The answer is no. Well, I did for one season, but I was really bad."
To students from other regions, differences in the general attitudes of New Englanders are obvious.
"Many students are surprised by the fast pace here," said Julie Jampel, head counselor at the Tufts Counseling Center. "It's the little things, like people being more impatient for an elevator, or a general unfriendliness when they walk down the street."
Deeney agreed. "At home, when you cross someone's path, you always smile and make eye contact," she said. "But here, everyone is in a hurry."
Other students from farther-flung regions of the U.S. harbored prejudices about New Englanders as well.
"I had my assumptions about them," Friedman said. "I thought that the men were scared of the women. It's true that women would get mad when men open the doors for them. It's a different atmosphere; they just don't want to offend."
Other assumptions concerned fashion and style. "New Englanders are way more into trends, like those big obnoxious flowers," Gary said. "Colorado is more old-school, just jeans and a shirt."
The adjustment from the home environment to the Tufts environment can be particularly strenuous on students from other countries. "Students often face issues relating to differences in culture, attitudes, even weather," Jampel said.
"Yeah, I imagine the snow this winter will be a kick in the pants," said freshman Elliot Authendaugh, a native of Portland, Oregon.
"I don't own a sweater yet, but I'm gonna get one this year, and a coat too," senior Friedman agreed.
"Some people talk about having different values," Jampel added. "For example, not having curfews, or seeing other students talk back to their parents, it's startling to them."
For many international students, the differences are overwhelming. Even the visual landscape is alien.
"Here, everything is much bigger," said freshman Nicola Gortzounian, a native of Paris, France. "The first thing I notice when I get into a taxi is how huge the car is. In Paris, the streets are small."
Junior Serena Fan, a native of Hong Kong, concurred, saying, "There is so much more space ... even the amount of trees and grass."
Both agree, though, that the most obvious differences are cultural.
"People are more polite in France, holding doors open and those kind of manners, but here they are really more friendly," Gortzounian said.
In contrast, students from other regions of the world view New England to be less friendly. "In New Zealand, people are much more affectionate," said freshman Amanda Sung, a native of Taiwan who went to high school in New Zealand. "But here people are more polite."
The more relaxed academic atmosphere available at Tufts is one thing Gortzounian really appreciates. "In France, when a teacher enters the room, everyone stands up," he said. "Here, it seems that we have more respect from the teachers. It makes the learning environment much more stimulating as a result, because it is easier to learn from someone who respects you."
Students have different approaches to adjusting to such differences in the Tufts environment.
"The day my mom dropped me off, she looked at me and said, 'Now Shelby, don't turn into a Yank,'" Deeney said. In order to comply with her mom's request, Deeney brought with her a treasured book: "GRITS: A Guide to Life for Girls Raised in the South." It includes such important reminders as how to talk, laugh and flirt Southern style.
"Here's my favorite," Deeney said, reading aloud: "'If anyone tries to tell you a Southern girl shouldn't drink, just tell them the truth: we don't drink, we sip ... a lot.'"
