Sweatpants, or Homesick

Though I've been out West since the beginning of June, I'll readily admit to still having a little culture shock. I mean, I'm from Penn State, one of the biggest party schools in the US. I remember having trouble sleeping because the geniuses at the frat house a few blocks away decided to play Guitar Hero at 3am, totally drunk, over what I can only imagine was the biggest freaking speaker system know to man. That is not the kind of thing you run into at BYU. It just isn't.

But, seriously, the lack of alcohol doesn't really effect me much because never drank anyway. It's the small things that are still getting me. No caffeine sold on campus, hugging everyone you ever see (ever), the way the BYU Police guard the grass like it's the last grass on Earth... and no one wears sweatpants. No one. Ever. 

At Penn State, it's considered a good day if you decide to put on real clothes (ie not pajamas) and brush your hair on the same day. Gray is an acceptable color. Ponytails are the norm. Sometimes, people even leave the house without make-up. Heck, I knew people that had "regular" sweatpants and "dress-up" sweatpants. Uggs are considered an all-purpose shoe. Eastern Casual, as I think of it, values comfort to style at about a 3:1 ratio. 

Western Casual is a whole 'nother ball game. Jeans are the sweatpants of the West. If I leave my apartment wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and Sperry's (a pretty typical school outfit back at home), I will usually feel like a slob by the time I get to the bus stop. Jeans are acceptable, but they're more acceptable if they're day-glo green or leopard print, or, better yet, aren't jeans at all, but skirts! T-shirts are okay, assuming they've been layered half-to-death with cardigans and camisoles. I don't know how people get dressed in the morning! I can only imagine that they're getting up hours before I am, huddled around closets and drawers, inventing new and elaborate outfits, and twisting their (almost exclusively) long hair into complicated braids. And don't even get me started on the lengths some of the boys go to in order to look "vintage" or something.

Tell me that doesn't sound exhausting. I'm proud of myself when I blow-dry my hair. I've been know to dance around the kitchen on such days. 

Am I trying to be critical? Not in the least. People out West tend to look classy, put-together, and intelligent. I admire their dedication, I really do. If I weren't so dedicated to sleep, I'd probably be one of them. I'd wear pink pants and look perpetually pleasant, but sometimes, I miss sweatpants and wearing Uggs in any weather. I miss the color gray (both in clothing and in the weather), I miss ponytails, and not feeling obligated to hug people.

I'm homesick today. You can find me in my room, wearing Uggs and sweats, telling myself That's What She Said jokes. 

x,

   m