<p>At lunch today we realized that our S has never been more than a week or so from his last Tex-Mex meal and now he'll be heading to Pittsburgh for college next fall. I know there are probably things that some consider acceptable substitutes up there, but we think of them the way a New Yorker thinks about a bagel he might find in Dallas -- it sort of looks the same, but the comparison stops there. We're starting to plan what we can send in care packages. </p>
<p>This is also the child we had to take to Colorado to see his first signficant snow, who had no idea what a snow shovel was for and has never owned a coat that was meant to be worn in less than 40 degree weather. The same boy who has lived in automobile occupied suburbia all his life will living in a real city and depending on public transportation. Might be in for an interesting shock.</p>
<p>Is anyone in the same situtation? Sending your S or D off to a great adventure the likes of which they probably can't quite imagine yet?</p>
<p>If he is at CMU, depending on what he gets as his "dorm" will determine the care packages. There is no real cafeteria at CMU. There is an excellent dive of a TexMex restaraunt not far away--can't recall the name, on Atwood Street. Plenty of eateries. If he ends up in an apt type dorm with kitchen, you may want to buy a small chest freezer at Sam's club (on Mcknight Road, North Hills) for about $130 and fill up with single serving type, protein rich foods, that he can microwave for quick meals. Don't bother with carb type foods as they are available everywhere, in fact hard to avoid, unless you have a special recipe of something he would savor. </p>
<p>I'll be glad to answer any Pittsburgh questions as I lived near CMU for 12 years.</p>
<p>Your son will be among the lucky who get to broaden their horizons and cultivate new favorites to add to the old. I don't know Pittsburgh, but within a term or two he'll be complaining during breaks about missing his current favorites!</p>
<p>Thanks, jamimom, my S's impressed with your suggestions. At this point we don't know enough to ask questions. :D We'll find out what kind of dorm he'll get into soon and check back.</p>
<p>We're looking at a likelihood that my S will be heading from Silicon Valley, CA, back to the east coast where he hasn't lived since he was 10 when we moved from NY to CA. He remembers living where it snowed all the time, but he thinks of it with more romantic notions of what it's like day after day, I think, as children do. He'll be clear on the opposite coast of the continent, and visits home will be fewer than we'll crave -- probably winter holidays only, not Thanksgiving, for instance (and T'giving is always a big family tradition in our house -- I shall have to send him a CD of Alice's Restaurant to play next year!). But he's likely to be in Boston -- ahhhhh, Boston. I'd always heard it was a fantastic city in which to be a college student, and perhaps now I'll get more details on that (or maybe not, come to think of it, since I'm his mother, LOL!).</p>
<p>It will be a very big change, and he will be So Far From Home... but I can't wait for him to start a new life in a place different enough from here that he's going to learn more about life and about himself than he would if he were staying nearby. He's ready for it. I hope I am. :-)</p>
<p>(And yes, I've been thinking already of what I'll put in the CARE packages I send eastward. When I mentioned this to him, he looked at me as if I were a Martian and said, "Um, Mom, I'll be in BOSTON, they probably have most things there, you know?" Ha. He sure does have a lot to learn. I might have to throw that back in his face at the first sign of homesickness.... ;-) )</p>
<p>We live in South Texas and our oldest is home from Bucknell in Lewisburg PA. (or "Pennsyltucky" as he calls it--Pitt and Philly with Arkansas in the middle). The first thing he asked for when he got off the plane is decent Mexican food! :-) We flew him out, and freshmen are not allowed to have cars, so it's the first time we could afford to bring him back home. I'd be happy to share our experiences of long distance schooling.</p>
<p>Mootmom--Alice's restaurant is a Thanksgiving staple at our house, too. We crank up the turntable and play my old "record album" (kiddies, that's a black disk with "grooves" and...nevermind.)</p>
<p>Our S made the trek from Northern California to the Big Apple, where he is just finishing his first semester. New York has great food, of course (almost as good as Berkeley:) ) On parents weekend we brought lots of stuff from Trader Joes (do you have one?) and also stocked him fully with cold medicines and vitamins. We let him come home at Thanksgiving this first year and suggested he bring his BIG suitcase back almost empty with him so that he could get more stuff from Trader Joes, etc.
But I found I couldn't get him to be realistic about the weather before he left. He just couldn't comprehend the cold and wouldn't get a warm enough coat because he didn't like the way they looked. Now he's bought himself another one (I don't think this one will be warm enough either) and I've sent him scarves and gloves. He's also dramatically changed the way he dresses. I guess my suggestion on the clothes front is that your son might have to wait for his heavy duty winter wear until he gets to school and sees what the natives wear.
What else? Prepare for a lot of conversations about the weather.</p>
<p>My son was born in Manhattan and lived in there until he was six when we moved to Asia. He spent most of the past 10 years in Jakarta and going from a third world, chaotic tropical city of nearly 20 million to a tiny pristine village in the snowy Berkshires was about as much of a culture shock as could be imagined. I'd say Indonesia and Williamstown are about as far apart geographically, meteorically and metaphysically as two places on this planet. All in all, the experience has been a great success. </p>
<p>Yes, do take care of all the cold weather gear before they go. Kids are in denial about how cold it really gets (especially in the snow belt) and the complicated jackets and clunky boots seem cumbersome and decidedly uncool. Once dressed for it, the kids, like puppies, have fun in the snow.</p>
<p>I suggest a light but warm down jacket for your son. My boys have trouble wearing anything heavy and bulky. They would rather freeze. And a sewn on hood if you can find one is helpful. Mine lose all scarves, gloves and hats and any detachable hood gets ripped off. The thin zipped in hoods stay zipped in place. I wish I could attach mittens to the cuffs like the old days! I just hope they do not lose any fingers to frost bite.</p>
<p>My D is in Boston. Born in FL and raised in San Diego. Early this week she remarked, with some amazement, "Mother, the puddles stayed frozen ALL day today." </p>
<p>But the real problem with Boston is that they don't have fish tacos.</p>
<p>Do you live in Shadyside or Oakland or Squirrel Hill? When I arrived in P'gh (from the deep South: Georgia) it was January and because of the cold and snow, it was hard to meet anyone. Plus, I didn't DARE to park in a cleared space (even ones without the dinette chairs). However, when Spring came, and people appeared on their stoops with blenders of daquiris, I fell in love with the city. Meeting my future wife that Spring didn't hurt either.</p>
<p>Strick -</p>
<p>My advice for your son is to get involved with school activities and clubs - especially any that cross academic boundaries. If he's so inclined, CMU has some good intamural sports as well. In general, however, much of the social life revolves around the frats.</p>
<p>Read in CMU thread your son is accepted to SCS. Congratulations! It is an awesome program- he'll work but I'll bet he'll love it. My S is 5th yr SCS student (getting a masters hence the 5th yr). </p>
<p>You'll find tex-mex food in Pgh, I forget the names of the restaurants but I know there are several within walking distance; it may not be like the authentic stuff your S is used to but it's better than Taco Bell. There's a Mad Mex closeby, ok it's probably a chain, but I know it's very crowded with CMU and Pitt students. Once he tastes a Primanti Bros. sandwich (with the fries in the sandwich) or loaded hot dog from the Original (the "O") he'll be fine. CMU's meal plan isn't the greatest so I'd consider one of the lower plan options, since there are plenty of nearby food options. For instance there are ethnic food vendors in their trucks right on the campus...I know it doesn't sound great but the food is good, hot and cheap and the trucks are very popular at lunch. My S lives in a fraternity and raves about their cook.</p>
<p>Also, Pittsburgh is not intimidating, it's a manageable city in size and accessibility, nothing like a Phila or NYC. There's a bus line the kids use right on Forbes Av. </p>
<p>Fall is beautiful in Pittsburgh but toward the end of Nov it gets gray and cold. Make sure you pack several rounds of scarves and gloves, also umbrellas, which will be lost with regularity if he's anything like mine.</p>
<p>Mootmom:
I have to smile. There sure is everything available in Boston, except for mom and dad! But they can't be sent by CARE packages :(</p>
<p>Sac:
The other day as I walked huddled deep in my winter jacket with the hood pulled over my head, I did espy a young woman walking in flipflops. I told myself she must be from the West Coast. :)</p>
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<p>But the real problem with Boston is that they don't have fish tacos.</p>
</blockquote>
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<p>Some of us do! I make a mean Yucatan Grilled Sea Bass taco with fresh habenros salsa and Mexican red rice. I do admit that I had to mail order the annatto seeds to make the achiote paste.</p>
<p>My D just got accepted to the School of Music for Music theater at OCU and will most likely go there since the competition for even getting into an MT program is soo incredibly difficult. We are from North Carolina so the thoughts of my D being all the way in Oklahoma is pretty daunting. She IS extremely independent though...it is probably going to be me that has the difficult time adjusting...and knowing that she can't just come home on any given weekend is going to take some getting used to as well! Even when the plane tickets can be found at a reasonable (not cheap) price, the trip is long (about 5 hours) as there are no nonstops from Charlotte to Oklahoma City! Just thought I'd share my thoughts ont eh subject since we are in the same situation. (and of course, her grandparents are convinced that they will never see her again.)</p>
<p>The only emergency care package I was asked (begged?) to send to Boston included specific brands of salsa and barbecue sauce. They cook all of their meals, and he's the only semi-southerner on his floor, so he's been indoctrinating everyone with his contributions to meals. Sweet tea, fried okra, sweet cornbread and pinto beans, and pork barbecue (unfortunately he had to cook it in the oven because it was raining that day). He also said he couldn't find any salsa he really liked.</p>
<p>We will definitely keep you in mind as we get closer to the big move! I am sure we will have lots of questions as we know nothing about Oklahoma City other than the one day we spent there at auditions.</p>