Standing in the shadows of the haunted Spring Villa Mansion on Tuesday night, eight gun shots went off somewhere in the woods.
I don't believe in ghosts, and I'm always skeptical about paranormal activity. But as the padlock to the mansion door unlocked with a click, chills went up my back. The gun shots made me look over my shoulder, but the allegedly haunted house made the hair on my back stand up.
It was possible I was chilled on the first night under 70 degrees since summer began, but it was also possible that constantly reassuring myself on the 20-minute car ride wasn't enough of a morale booster to escape feeling a little spooked.
I will be going to more allegedly haunted houses every week in October. They are all nearby, some are even near Auburn's campus.
None of them however, are in the clearly defined Auburn bubble.
I had never spent time in the South before I left my home in California four years ago for the red brick buildings of Auburn University.
I knew it would be different, and I wanted to experience every difference there is between the central coast of California and small town Alabama.
However, the Auburn bubble is hard to escape.
I joined a fraternity, one of the best choices I have ever made, and I went through the motions of college life at Auburn.
I went to the same bars every week, ate at the same places-usually Chipotle-and talked to the same groups of people.
Then I joined The Plainsman's community section in the fall of last year, and I was able to see past the framework of ideas and activities that make up nearly every Auburn student's life.
Downtown Opelika is experiencing a cultural revival of food and art. The people leading the charge are drawing in talented artists and creating an atmosphere of creativity that will keep growing.
The John Emerald Distilling Company is distilling liquor and is willing to give you free private tours of the process after tastings.
Listening to John and Jimmy Sharp describe how they left a stable family business in Montgomery in order to follow their passions made me question my own choices.
The longest urban whitewater rafting course in the world is only 45 minutes away in Columbus, Georgia. They also have a zip line from the Georgia banks to the Alabama banks of the Chattahoochee River, where you can see rafters taking on the class five rapids from 100 feet in the air.
A little bit of digging into what is going on in the community opens doors and offers new opportunities.
College is about taking a chance on new things because there may not be another time to do it.
There is so much more to the Auburn area than Auburn University, and it is just waiting to be explored. All that needs to happen is popping the Auburn bubble.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
