August 15, 2001

Column
By Adam Fouche
The Jackson Herald
August 15, 2001

What I did on my summer break
Three months ago I left the greater Banks-Jackson-Madison metropolitan area and headed for a land far south-Augusta.
I had never been to Augusta. I never had the need to go. In fact, after my internship there this summer, I'll probably never go back.
But I'm a better person for learning how to survive in a very uncomfortable, hot, muggy, dangerous city.
I've been back for about two weeks now. I didn't suffer any heat strokes and I wasn't shot. But I did have a lot of experiences.
Many people have asked me what I did all summer. Basically, I flew on a corporate jet, ate at private restaurants, stayed in nice hotels and wore a suit every day.
And despite all those negative influences, I actually learned something. Here goes:
·I like driving my truck. Before this summer, I had never been on an airplane. After all, if I were meant to fly, I'd have wings. But while in Augusta, the other interns and I needed to get out to Conway, Ark. So the company put us on one of its private jets and flew us out there. The ride was like driving on a bumpy dirt road in need of good scraping. Halfway through the flight, we hit some turbulence. Buzzers began blazing. The exit signs lit up. I sat up in my seat and tightened my seatbelt. All I could think of was the crash scene in "Castaway." Flying is scary, so I think from now on I'll stick to my truck.
·I like cereal and sandwiches. A free meal is never a bad thing. In fact, I could count on one hand the number of lunches I paid for this summer, three. For the most part, whoever we were working with each day would take us out to eat. Many days, we ate at a private restaurant on the top floor of the tallest building in Augusta. It was a buffet, a very expensive one. Don't read me the wrong way. The food was great. But I've never been good at picking out which fork and which spoon goes with which food. At my house, I use one utensil, a old plastic spork from a take-home fried chicken place. I use it for cereal, salad, steak, chili, ice cream, cake, beans and anything else I eat. Also, I only use one plate, one bowl and one glass. To me, there's no need for three different forks, different-shaped spoons and special knives. Give me my cereal and sandwiches and I'm a happy man.
·I like my old, broken bed. At my apartment in Athens, I have an old double bed. Parts of the box springs are broken. Some springs pop you in the back. And most of my sheets are torn. This summer, as I traveled from Savannah to Jacksonville to Greenville, I stayed in nice hotels-the ones where people come in at night, turn down the covers and leave you a piece of chocolate. I never understood why they leave you chocolate to eat a night. Chocolate keeps you awake. But anyway, the bed was nice and so was the room. I just missed my bed, broken springs, torn sheets and all.
·I like my blue jeans. Every day I wore a suit. I had to button the top button on my shirts. I had to put on a tie. I was in Augusta, the hottest, muggiest place in the world, wearing a suit. Needless to say, I wasn't very comfortable. I got hot. I sweated. I didn't like it. There's nothing wrong with dressing up on occasion, but I think I'll stick to shorts and blue jeans for the most part.
Basically, that's all I learned this summer. All in all, it was a good experience. I'm glad I went, but I'm even more glad I'm back.
So until next time, I'll be sitting in my bed, eating cereal with shorts on.
Adam Fouche is a reporter for MainStreet Newspapers. His email address is fouche@arches.uga.edu.

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