As I glance out of the car window, sometimes I still see West Virginia through the same eyes as when I first moved into town. Taking it in, I am struck simply by the fact that I live HERE. Somehow, without fully realizing it, I have made a life in this rough and rustic place. Often I feel like a tourist as I take in the culture, the ghost-town buildings, the WVU fans, the rolling hills, and the tiny, tiny towns tucked away in the back hills.
Picture from http://www.virtualtourist.com/
Notice the rail rising above the buildings? That, my friends is the Personal Rapid Transit or the PRT, a little perk of the city. The PRT cars are forever whizzing students to various parts of the WVU campus and I use the PRT once a week to get to my violin lessons. Sometimes I like to imagine I'm riding a low-speed scenic rollercoaster.
I'm no football enthusiast, but I can easily tell you that a big change in my new home is the fact that everyone is unified behind the Mountaineers. No BYU/U of U rivalries here. On game days it seems like half of the school is wearing blue and gold. Students walk through the halls with boom boxes on their shoulders blasting the game and a flatscreen mounted in the front hall shows the afternoon games in vivid (if soundless) detail. Teachers have been known to interrupt lectures to ask students for the latest scores. 
I've been sheltered from the crazed student section and their couch burning rituals, but I did work a snack booth at a recent football game. What is the food of choice of the WVU masses you might ask? That's easy: pepperoni rolls. Apparently West Virginia is "The Pepperoni Roll Capital of the World." There are bakeries all around town specializing in the fine art of pepperoni roll making and I've heard many people boast about their mother's/grandmother's/great grandpa's super-secret-best-ever pepperoni roll recipe. Debates have sparked in class as to whether pepperoni rolls are best cooked with a pepperoni stick or sliced pepperoni. A few times a year the school holds a "Pepperoni Roll Day." The cafeteria ladies work overtime preparing rolls from scratch and freeze thousands of them. When the hallowed day arrives the news is broadcast gleefully from one student to another and the cafeteria lines pile longer and wider than ever before. Recently a one-pepperoni-roll-per-person rule was instated to the chagrin of students and teachers alike. I've yet to try one and I'll think I'll keep it that way.
I'm sure I'll come up with more quirky details, but consider this your introduction to West Virginia culture.
2 comments:
The PRTs sound awesome! I wish I had such a vehicle to transport me to my classes, some of which are nearly a mile away.. thanks for the introduction!
Haha they are! Totally fun when they go down hills. Apparently Morgantown is the only city that has them, although I'd imagine it would be a sweet little update on TRAX. :)
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