By Matt Briggs (North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA).

Well, I’ve just realised I really didn’t pack very well for Raleigh. I brought jeans and long sleeve shirts as well as jackets and jumpers. I’ts been about 34 degrees everyday! It’s so hot. Other than the fact that I’ve been overheating all the time and getting sun-burnt and looking like a Brit on holiday, it’s been good. I’ve had my first set of classes now and it feels a bit more like school (which is nice). You get sent homework every class and it needs to be in the next week. I’m just getting used to doing work again after a long summer and dossing about England.

The food is amazing. It’s basically all you can eat, all day long. I spend my time going in and out of the dining halls most days.

There definitely aren’t as many bars and clubs as Manchester, which means you tend to bump into people more often in the ones that they have. Which is actually quite nice. Raleigh is only about 1 and 1/2 hours to the coast so everyone in my dorm is planning on going to the beach at the weekend after the NCSU football match (someone will have to explain the rules of american football to me).

OK

I’ll speak to you all soon

Matt