All in the Family

Since the both of us are far away from home, we cannot help but notice after one month that we are beginning to see Jackson in a completely different manner.

It all began one week ago when we asked each other what time we would be home for dinner. It has now escalated to finding our residence for next semester. Jackson is making us feel more and more at home. I mean, we must feel pretty welcome since we are considering another semester down here and all, right?

The people we have encountered this past month have really given us some southern comfort. When we came down with the flu, friends came to our bedsides bringing a wide variety of medicine for us to consume. We have also been cooked some astounding southern dishes; from savory seafood gumbo to a decadent bread pudding, the meals show the love and hospitality families and friends shower us with.

We also cannot forget to mention the company we have been fortunate enough to encounter. It is great to be able to talk to someone, or enjoy a Sunday dinner with a friend’s family, and feel so incredibly welcome. It is as if we have known them for years! They even send us back to our dorms with cookies and baked goods for our late night sweet tooth cravings.

Our new families even gave us advice regarding our latest adventure. We decided to find Jackson’s famous Greenwood Cemetery. We were told by many locals that Confederate soldiers were buried there; we just had to see it! We had looked up some directions on the Internet, but we decided to just go for a stroll downtown and hopefully run into it.

By mistake, we found ourselves off by a couple blocks and at the edge of what seemed to be an abandon neighborhood. After much thought, we decided we couldn’t put ourselves into a dangerous situation. We decided to stick to the main roads downtown.

The sights of the abandon homes we glanced at, gave us a feeling of fear. We, being two young women, could have easily been put into a dangerous situation. We know we keep telling you fellow Millsapians to venture out of the Millsaps community, but please never wander off alone!

A friend’s mother gave us her motherly advice, telling us to use our brains and to follow your gut instincts. She said Jackson has plenty to offer, you just do not need to travel off the beaten path to find it.

We finally run into the Greenwood Cemetery after a couple minutes of uncertainty.  We could not believe the history involved with this famous final resting place. We stumbled upon graves dating back to BEFORE the Civil War.  This was astonishing to us! We felt such an eerie presence as we walked between all the gravestones. We couldn’t help but imagine all of the stories buried with all those people. Who would have thought a cemetery could provide us with such entertainment?

Even though it took us an arm and a leg to get to the cemetery, we were extremely pleased we experienced such an encounter with Greenwood Cemetery. We just now need to use our instincts and make smart decisions for the other journeys and adventures we have planned!

We are very grateful for families and friends making us part of their families. It really makes Mississippi such a unique place full of people who care about us and our adventures we have planned!

The Rock That Holds Mississippi Together

The idea of snow seems foreign to us now that we have both made the big move down south. The local news stations are broadcasting snow advisories, and telling people how to drive on black ice. We both cannot help but laugh out loud! The snow does not stop us Northerners from going about our daily lives. We’ve both driven in blizzards to get ourselves that cup of jo, or even to buy that new cardigan that’s on sale at Gap. Snow is just one of those things that we have always overlooked, until now.

Winter weather advisories were out the night we made plans to attend a blues concert at a local venue on historic Fairish Street. We had stumbled upon this fun-filled evening because of a late night craving for music. We just had to go listen to Mississippi’s legendary soul music. The weather was not going to stop us. We decided to take our chances and endure the “dangerous” weather.

Our first impression of the Frank Jones Corner House was intimidating. It was the only building on the block that wasn’t tattered and run down. Oddly enough, it was the only business open on North Fairish Street. It took a little encouragement to get each other out of the car, but we both managed to walk into the deserted building.

Inside, we could not believe how cozy they could make such a cold neighborhood feel. We sat down at the bar, and were instantly greeted by a middle-aged man. He got us both something to drink, and began to ask us questions. Before long, we were indulging in historical conversations revolving around Jackson with the entire staff of this cozy venue.

They were quite impressed with our curiosity of Mississippi culture. Once they warmed up to us, they brought out historical archives pertaining to a variety of things; Confederate soldier’s graves, Tupelo, The King Edward’s Hotel, and Greenwood Cemetery. They told us how they wanted to “revitalize Jackson’s historical downtown one beer at a time,” which just so happen to be their bar motto.

The middle-aged man, who was the owner of the bar, told us he was proud of his state unlike most Mississippians. He said that while growing up, everyone he encountered associated him with negative attributes, because he was from Mississippi. In response to those sorts of comments, he said his father told him to tell those people that Mississippi did something great; they were number one in mule production. “Now that is something to be proud of,” he commented.

The music started at midnight, and the venue began to draw a small crowd of locals. The band that was set to perform called themselves the Amazin’ Lazy Boi. When they first began to play, we weren’t too impressed. The music sounded just like the garage bands we heard back home. Our minds quickly changed when a small man was called up to the stage. He was called “The Rock.” He was short, skinny, and had only one arm, but could that man sing! We both stopped talking and began tapping our feet to the rhythm.

He sang covers of Ray Charles and Sam Cooke, which got the audience very hyped up. People began to steadily walk up to the stage, putting dollar bills in the tip jar. The mood of the venue had significantly changed now that “The Rock” had the microphone.

With the morning soon approaching, we decided we had to get going. The entire drive back to the dorms, we couldn’t stop talking about the music we heard. We finally got to experience the blues. The evening started with disappointment, but it ended with a life-changing experience. This evening was why we came down to Mississippi. We talked with locals who love their city, and only want what’s best for their fellow Jacksonians.

We highly recommend all of our peers to leave the gates of Millsaps and explore these hidden gems just down the street. Jackson has so much to offer, and after an evening full of blues and great conversation, we are only more motivated and excited for our next adventure. 

Elvis is NOT DEAD

Since the birth of America, the Mississippi River has served as an essential piece of history, as a speedy connector to valuable economic markets between two totally different cultures: the north with their frontier-like existence and the South notorious for their plantations and fashionable antebellum culture. The only thing the two had in common was Mark Twain’s legendary tales about newcomers and their adventures surrounding the river.

Since both of us are from the North-Emily born and raised in Minnesota- we have our own opinion of the Mississippi River. Far from cultural or even nice to look at, it is seen as a bland component of Northern scenery. When passing by the river, all we see is muddy water with barges strategically placed. Even with the Twin Cities boarding each side of the river, there seems to be no real culture connected with the Mississippi River.

The only story that comes to mind when we think of the Mississippi, is an unfortunate one: two girls decided to live life adventurously, similar to Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer. They hopped on their own makeshift log raft to sail down the river. Of course, the ending is tragic; take a wild guess, both girls drowned.

Since both of our moves down South, we have noticed a completely different culture associated with the river. Our first encounter with peers conversing about the Mississippi Delta region consisted of tamales and still-standing plantations, as well as stories related to the birthplace of blues, jazz, and rock n’ roll. Southern Living even goes as far as to call the Mississippi Delta “a back road traveler’s paradise.”

While browsing the visitthedelta.com website, we found it interesting that the site focuses solely on “serving homemade pies by day and living blues by night.” Looking beyond our new obsession for southern cuisine, we landed upon a whole new world of festivals; music festivals, literary festivals, holiday festivals, art festivals, and delta festivals. The Delta has it all!

Since our next chapter of exploration to the Delta leads us north, we have decided to take the beaten path to Holly Springs, Mississippi. After many recommendations from peers, we came to a decision that we NEEDED to visit Mississippi Native, Paul McLeod.  McLeod is the creator of Graceland Too, a homemade tribute to the King of Rock n Roll, Elvis Presley. He has been obsessed with Presley for over fifty years, and there is no end in sight for this Elvis maniac.

The deal breaker for this pit stop happened after we did some research. We found out many legends associated with McLeod’s house of homage. For example, a fellow peer told us that once you visit Graceland Too more than five times, you get free admission for life. Other stories recount McLeod’s deep obsession with Elvis. Apparently you should never speak negatively about Elvis, because McLeod has a temper nobody should bump into. The best part about McLeod’s character is his hours of operation, stating: “Always open, just knock.”

Once again, Mississippi has shown two Northern girls what Southern hospitality is made of! With this next adventure in the works, both of us cannot wait to see what other “True Mississippians” we encounter!