Maren Morris, Football, Halloween and much more

Hello again,

and already another 2 weeks have passed. Time is not long anymore... But you have to enjoy the time. So what happened? Let's start from the beginning and see where we end up.

First, you will surely wonder what this badge in the photos has to say. Stellenonline.de contacted me and asked me to apply for one of the top articles/blogs on the topic of "Internships and working abroad". Of course, I did that and lo and behold, I will be featured on their homepage. That's pretty cool ;) Thanks to all readers! I hope you are satisfied with my entries. Here is the link: https://www.stellenonline.de/top-blog-posts-thema-arbeiten-und-praktika-im-ausland-2017

Last Friday, I was in Memphis with Hannah, her husband Steve, and a buddy of theirs. Hannah and I wanted to go to the Maren Morris concert and the other two to a bar on Beale Street. The venue opened at 7 o'clock and we were there in Memphis on time at 7. But we had the glorious idea to grab something to eat. In itself, great, the restaurant had great reviews and was only 0.4 miles from the concert hall. However, what we didn't know was that they had a gas leak in the morning. Either because of that or because of their general slowness, we waited 1.5 (!) hours for our food. Of course, we missed the concert start of the opening act at 8 o'clock. We were then in the hall at 8:45. Just in time, as Maren Morris took the stage at 9. The concert itself was GREAT! The little one (1.63 cm) has a great voice. I have no idea where the power comes from. Unfortunately, the cell phone photos are as bad as always and my phone doesn't like videos, so I can't contribute much there either. She played for good an hour and 20 minutes. But it was really worth it.

Last Friday, I was invited to a Sorority Formal. In case I haven't explained it yet: a Sorority is a women's student organization. They have date parties from time to time, where they can bring a companion. But the party was something special, as it only takes place every 4 years. So formal attire was required. How did I get my date? Better not to ask. The whole thing was more of a blind date, as a roommate of my date asked me. But it worked out great, the evening was fun, the location was great, and the band was good. The only downside was the organization. I mean, who was in charge of that... The bus departure was on campus at 9 o'clock. We were there shortly before 9 and there were already about 300 people waiting. And then 2 buses arrived. TWO BUSES. And they were these American school buses, where hardly anyone could fit in. We finally got on with the 3rd round and arrived at the party location shortly before 10. The band stopped playing around 20 minutes to 12 and the return trip was the same problem... It felt like I spent more time waiting than at the party :)

Then we finally had home games again. Last week in the afternoon against Vanderbilt and this weekend in the evening against LSU. Both were SEC games, meaning opponents from the same conference. The boys showed a great performance against Vanderbilt and sent Vandy home with a score of 57-35. Everything just worked, the running game was much better, the defense was good. The win did everyone good! Especially before the big rivalry game against LSU this weekend. At the Grove beforehand, you could already see a lot more fans in purple and gold. In general, it was really crowded again. Sometimes it's really impossible to get through! In the stadium, you could feel a very heated atmosphere at times. As far as I know, fortunately, there weren't any major incidents. Unfortunately, luck was not on the Rebels' side. Our great strength, the wideouts, unfortunately couldn't deliver. Many passes were not caught. Our run defense also showed big gaps again. Unfortunately, the game ended with a score of 24-40 in favor of LSU. That was it for home games in red. Arkansas will be our guest next week at 11 o'clock in the morning. Rebel fans are encouraged to show up in powder blue. I'm curious! I will probably take my SLR camera with me. Oh, by the way, thanks to Niclas, he managed to record the Rebels chant in the stadium. You just have to see that. For those who don't know the text 100%, here's a little help for watching the video: "Go Rebs! Go Rebs! Go Rebs, we gonna beat the hell out of you! Hotty Toddy, Gosh Almighty, who the hell are we? Hey! Flim Flam, Bim Bam, Ole Miss by Damn!" The combination with the marching band in the stadium is of course super cool! https://youtu.be/2DyZT05j6Ww You usually hear the chant in response to the question "ARE YOU READY?" It is answered in full volume with "HELL YEAH, DAMN RIGHT! Hotty toddy..." and so on :) I hope to get a "clean" chant on video again.

Then Halloween is coming soon. Which means there were the first two Halloween parties last weekend. One frat party (You remember: Fraternity = student organization for guys) and one private house party. At the frat party, you have to be on the list as a guy to get in. Fancy fancy. But since I knew someone (thanks a lot to Will), that wasn't a problem. And it was just awesome. Approximately 80-90% of the people were dressed up and there were really cool costumes. I saw everything possible. One guy walked around with a pumpkin on his head all evening, I met the perfect Harley Quinn (matching my Joker costume, but with a friend there ;) ) and otherwise everything from extraordinary to funny. Plus, alcohol for free and a great DJ! There was a lot going on. But the more relaxed house party the next day was great too. Of course, not as many people, but a volume where you could actually have a conversation. Halloween is definitely bigger here than in Germany. I'm looking forward to seeing what Halloween parties there are next weekend!

Otherwise, autumn is slowly but surely arriving here too. During the game against Vandy, it was probably still 30-35 degrees in the sun, from the next day on only a maximum of 20 degrees. In time for the game against LSU, it was nice again, but allegedly it will only reach a maximum of 18 degrees this week. We had 10 degrees at 7:30 in the morning today... In any case, I'm not looking forward to the winter weather in Germany.

To avoid studying, I'm once again helping others :D Currently, I'm writing a "guide" or assistance for future Internationals at Ole Miss in collaboration with Hannah. Currently, it covers housing and the meal plan. However, it is still not certain whether it will be published on the official blog, whether I will simply post it as a final entry here, or whether it will only be sent to the new people. In addition, there is, of course, more to come. If you have any ideas, please let me know!

Finally, a little preview of the next few days/weeks: this week, there are 2 more home games for the volleyball team, a home game for the soccer team, and the football game on Saturday. Friday is apparently an Oktoberfest party (it will certainly be painful but fun). I'm still hoping for a big Halloween party. Then the basketball season starts at the beginning of November. I already took one exam this week, fortunately none next week. Now I'll leave you with a few more photos.

Until next time! Hotty Toddy!

Yours, Franz