1. Mind your manners.

It's not just please and thank you. Most of the time, if you don't say "Yes ma'am" or "No sir," you're in for a world of hurt. You'll probably hear the Southern phrase "Bless your heart," which in some contexts is not positive.

2. Some people actually care about soccer.

The South prefers baseball, basketball, and football over anything else, that's for sure. They live for Bama, Clemson, and the Tar Heels. I was surprised to see how soccer was growing down south. I saw people wearing World Cup jerseys, which surprised me a bit, and I also got to attend a Greenville FC match, the city's new semi-pro team in the 4th tier of U.S. Soccer. It was nothing like the Columbus Crew games we normally go to at home, but it really warmed my heart that the game had a place in South Carolina. Hearing "Three Lions," (Football's coming home!) "Waka Waka," and "We Are One" at the stadium made my day.

3. It's hard to get used to Southern drawls.

Sometimes, "y'all" slips into my everyday vocabulary for no reason, but I am so sick of hearing it after spending almost two weeks in South Carolina. Something about Southern accents is very unattractive to me, and the word "ain't" makes me crazy. I've been to South Carolina at least 10 times, as well as Louisiana, Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Georgia, but their accents are really hard to adjust to and difficult to understand.

4. Thick, curly hair and Southern weather do not mix.

My hair is super thick and curly, so it's hard to deal with on a normal day in the North. In the Carolinas, on the other hand, afternoon storms and highs of over 90 degrees every day led to over 80 percent humidity. All the hair gel in the world did not stop my "afro" from poofing up all over the place.

5. Catholic churches are almost nonexistent.

There obviously are Catholics in the South; I believe they have two churches in Greenville for them. However, during my time in South Carolina, I did not see any at all. The ones I saw included Baptist, Methodist, Episcopalian, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Greek Orthodox, and even Christian Scientist. It was a little strange for me, since back home there are Catholic churches on almost every corner! It was also a lot less diverse down there than in Ohio: nearly everyone was either white or African-American. I'm used to being around people from many different faiths: Catholicism, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, and people from countries around the world.

6. Monograms.

I learned that monograms are an essential part of Southern style. I saw them on people's bags, shirts, hats, and even as bumper stickers on their cars. They go in a certain order depending on the size of the letters, or what gender you are, or if you're married, or if you have multiple middle names. There's even special monograms for married couples. Maybe I just don't get it.

Read more about it here.

7. Confederate flags, but...

...Southerners are known for their hospitality and are generally kind people. There are some genuine racists, bigots, and horrible people down there, but not all people from Southern states are like that. Seeing Confederate flags, however, was a bit of a culture shock for me. It was kind of like going to Barcelona and seeing Catalan flags everywhere.

8. Clemson is the Ohio State of South Carolina.

Clemson University is not far from Greenville, and I had never seen so much purple and orange in one place. Greenville also has Furman University, but everyone loves Clemson. It reminded me a lot of where I live. In Columbus, it's all OSU all the time, even if you never went there. Go Tigers, I guess?

9. Southerners tend to be awful drivers.

I don't think anyone in the state of South Carolina has ever used a turn signal in their life. People go really slow when you're in a hurry, but when you've got nowhere to be, people will go 70 in a 50 zone and weave through lanes. Now Louisiana, that's a story for another time. I'm glad I got my license in suburban Ohio.

10. Bugs. Everywhere.

When I landed in Columbus Monday night, I took a good look at myself and saw that I had at least ten mosquito bites all over my legs. If you're headed to Florida, Alabama, or the Carolinas, make sure you pack sunscreen AND bug spray. I think it's the humidity that brings them out.