Thursday, January 13, 2011

From Limestone to Brick

We're used to limestone. They have brick.

We're used to the Wabash Cannonball. They hold up a toast to their school and proclaim, "Here's a health, Carolina, forever to thee!"


We are used to the oaks and elms of Kansas. They have those, too, but have added the palmettos and magnolias of the south.


Our trip to the University of South Carolina campus may not have been "home" for us. But it did give this Mom some visual snapshots of where Brent will be spending the next year and a half.

I like being able to picture my kids in their surroundings. I know Jill thought it was silly when we wanted to see the retirement home where she's the dietitian and food service manager. But I like being able to "see" her in my mind's eye when she is talking about work and the residents she loves.

Same goes for Brent's new home. Randy and I spent some time walking around the campus one morning when Brent had meetings with his adviser.

K-State was founded in 1863. The University of South Carolina is old enough to be K-State's grandpa!

USC was founded in 1801, one of the oldest public universities in the U.S. The Graduate School, where Brent will get his master's in sports administration, is one of the nation's 10 largest grad schools. Most of his classes will be in the Carolina Coliseum, the former home to the Gamecocks basketball team.

My favorite part of the campus was The Horseshoe, a part of the original campus. Within its four city blocks, stand 10 buildings from the early 19th century. In 1801, Thomas Jefferson was the newly inaugurated U.S. president and Robert Fulton was experimenting with the steamboat.

We walked down the brick pathways that students have been traversing for 210 years.


And even though it wasn't "our" home, we still felt "at" home. And that made all the difference.

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