Being in North Carolina for the summer means heat. And lots of it. But hot and sticky Durham only necessitates one of the staples of the summer: the Belmont pool.
Any day of the week, any time of the day, enough bronzed beauties were always making regular appearances so as to question the reality of any alleged summer job. But then again, what good is summer if you can't have some type of tan-line to show off?
Yet as appealing as the pool was, most students who stayed in Durham this summer did so for other reasons. Some thought of it as a gift to be away from their boring hometowns; others saw it as an opportunity for job shadowing, internships or summer school. No matter what the reason, Durham remained the place of residency for a number of students from May to August. And while the stores, eateries and the actual Gothic Wonderland all stayed the same, the atmosphere, the people and the experience did not.
Leading up to the summer, it was clear that people thought anyone here beyond graduation was "stuck in Durham," as upperclassmen warned younger students to avoid spending a summer in the City of Medicine. Sophomore Taylor Reid was one of those warned. "Coming in, I expected it to basically be work, sleep and class," she said. "But that wasn't the case at all. There were many more people here than I thought, and much more to do. I thoroughly enjoyed it."
Just like during the school year, however, there were always those who looked forward to time away from Durham as well; weekend trips to visit friends or family were very common.
"It was nice to get a break from Durham at least once during the summer," said Adam Hausman, a senior. "While the pool is refreshing and the golf relaxing, the plane ride home is by far the best."
Overall, those who remained in Durham bonded in a way unlike during the school year. Members of different fraternities called each other to plan events, freshmen lived with upperclassmen under the guise of "sub-letting" and the differences in years and experiences at Duke were unimportant.
"The entire summer just had a much more intimate and laid-back feeling," Reid explained.
Even for summer school classes, many of the students did not feel as pressured. "If anyone needs to take Spanish 63, they should take it in the summertime. During the year, it's the class in the Spanish department everyone dreads to take. But in the summertime, it's great," said senior Clare Matschullat.
There was a sense of familiarity, almost monotany--even if you were a tour guide who ran into the same group of friends walking on campus every time you gave a tour, you knew what to expect. It was, in a way, comforting, students said.
Apart from classes, work and getting food, campus was rarely the hub of activities for actual Duke students. Between the American Dance Festivals dancers taking over East Campus, the TIP kids installing every version of Instant Messenger in the computer labs, the construction that took up more areas of the campus than most students knew existed and the sports campers leaving much to be desired with their accuracy and aim, Duke students found more appealing locales elsewhere.
The James Joyce, with its Wee Heavy Scottish beer and collectors' items Guinness glasses, was a popular hot spot, especially on Trivia nights. Medical, law, graduate and undergraduate students all united to try and win the hallowed bar tab prize, making the dimly lit, tiny European-style bar filled to the point of inducing claustrophobia by 9 p.m.
The Durham Bulls' cheap tickets and fireworks on Fridays also pulled in large groups of Dukies on any given night.
"During the school year it's hard to find enough friends with time to go to the games, but in the summer there's always a bunch of people there," said sophomore Meg Rutledge. A lawn blanket made the hill behind the outfield a perfect way to watch the game, and the location was perfect for catching tee shirts being thrown by the mascot in between innings.
Programs were organized for students in summer school, including anything from barbeques and movie nights to kayaking down the Eno River with "River Dave" and his wife "Rio Josie." Large amounts of students participated, shown by the shortage of tee shirts ordered by the University for the students. Senior Anna Froneberger explained that as long as you had friends in town you could always find something to do. "I had an awesome time at Duke this summer, mainly because I had great group of friends here. That's what really makes the difference," she said.
So while most students were fore-warned of hot and humid nights and a shortage of friends and fun to occupy the days, many look back on the summer with a differing opinion. Durham may not be New York City, Washington or even Beaufort, but it has its own way of leaving its mark--with its relaxed mood and its local attractions--as a great place to spend a summer.
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