193 - Sharks, Swamps, and Sweet Tea: Our Wild Trip to South Carolina
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Hi, everybody. My name is Shauna, and this is the American English Podcast. My goal here is to teach you the English spoken in the United States. Through common expressions, pronunciation tips, and interesting cultural snippets or stories, I hope to keep this fun, useful, and interesting. Let's do it. Hi, everyone. Welcome back.

In today's episode, we're going to be talking about our recent trip to South Carolina. And in it, you'll hear a lot about animals, creatures of the Dark Lagoon, and the beach. Yeah, there's quite a bit you'll learn about South Carolina in here, some stats I tried to add and some cultural aspects.

And this is a Chats with Shawna episode, so I will be talking without much structure. I'll also explain challenging words as I go along. If you would like the transcript so that you can read along, be sure to sign up to season four. The link is in the episode notes. Without further ado, let's begin.

For our summer vacation, we wanted two things. A taste of history, something that I always crave when visiting a new place in the U.S., and a bit of beach. Because what's summer without going to the beach?

So Charleston, South Carolina checked both of those boxes, and it's just about four hours away from Asheville. So to me, that's perfect. It's good enough for a three-day trip or four-day trip. And there's a lot to do in Charleston. It's famous for its charming streets. There are a lot of colorful, historic homes.

They have a place called Rainbow Row, where each house or each building is painted a different color. And it has this sort of old, timey, southern feel. You'll see horse-drawn carriages going up the streets. There are palmetto trees everywhere. And honestly, most of it looks like it's part of a movie scene.

But Charleston isn't just pretty. It's packed with history, which was one of the things I was looking for. It was founded in 1670, and it's one of the oldest cities in the United States. It played a huge role in both the American Revolution and the Civil War. And so when you're walking up and down the streets, you'll see signs of the past everywhere.

from old churches with bell towers, cobblestone streets, and gravestones or headstones that are from the 1800s and before. Some people say Charleston feels like walking through a museum. And one of the great things about this museum is that it comes with fantastic seafood restaurants, sunshine,

and so much more. And I apologize right now, Milo's in here with me. He wanted to be a part of this episode where we'll be talking about him. So if you hear some funny noises in the background, it's him scraping the wall and, you know, doing his thing. Yeah, so for the first time ever, we brought him on a trip with us. I think I mentioned a few episodes back that we got a dog

And since he's new to the family and we're new to having a dog, everything is a first. And so this was his first very big trip. And we weren't really sure how it would go, but we were super excited. Before we left, though, this is kind of funny. We dropped the girls off at their summer school program, and one of the teachers said,

heard that we were going to Charleston and said, wait, you're going to Charleston in June? Which I was a little bit confused by. Like, why wouldn't you want to go to Charleston in summer? Apparently, it's because it's very hot there. But in my head, I'm like, okay, I'm from California. How bad can it be? It turns out it's pretty bad.

Charleston in the summer feels like walking through hot soup. I think that's how I'd describe it. The air is thick. It's humid, meaning that there's water in the air. There's moisture. And so it makes it feel hotter than it would in dry heat. We have dry heat in California, and that's what I grew up with.

So, yeah, you start sweating the second you step outside. To sweat is a more casual way of saying to perspire. So on very hot days when it's sweltering outside, I sweat like a pig. That's the common comparison we make. It means I sweat a lot. I sweat like a pig. In English, we can also say, it's so hot I'm sweating bullets.

Yeah, bullets. Those pointed metal pieces that come out of a gun when you shoot. I'm sweating bullets. So in Charleston, it was sweltering. It was very hot. And I sweat like a pig. Or I was sweating bullets.

And just note here that the past in American English is irregular. We often say, I sweat like a pig. Yesterday, I sweat like a pig. While in British English, you might say sweated. I sweated like a pig.

The point is, it was hot, and I was a bit naive. I didn't even think that by traveling with a dog, we'd be forced to be outside all the time. And that was apparent the first night that we went to a restaurant. It was a really cute place, but the only problem was we weren't allowed to go inside like the rest of the guests did.

It was 95 degrees and humid, and everybody was inside, sipping sweet tea, sitting in the air conditioning, and we were outside sweating bullets. We're sweating like pigs. Our shirts were wet, and to make matters worse, when our food came, we were attacked by flies.

And I'm not just being dramatic. It wasn't just one or two. It was a swarm. We usually say a swarm of insects that fly. So, for example, there was a swarm of flies, a swarm of bees, a swarm of what else? Flies in groups, flying ants.

Anyway, we had to put mini fans on the table to keep them at bay or to keep them away. And it just felt like a battle throughout the entire meal, trying to reach our food, dodge the fans. We were swatting flies away.

And my girls were, of course, singing the common song to get rid of flies. Shoo fly, don't bother me. Shoo fly, don't bother me. Anyway, it wasn't the most relaxing of dinners, but we couldn't help but laugh. And we laughed pretty much for the rest of the evening. Although I have to admit, we were slightly defeated. We were like, hmm.

Was it smart to go on this trip at the peak of summer? We're not supposed to leave this puppy alone yet, and we can't go inside any shop or restaurant or anywhere with him. So in that moment, I was thinking, oh man, did we make a mistake by coming? But things do get better.

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Our one big plan for the week was to go to the beach. So that night after dinner, I started doing some research. We'd heard about Folly Beach. It's one of the most popular beaches near Charleston. And during my research, one of the first things I learned was Folly Beach is one of the top 10 beaches in the U.S. for shark attacks. ♪

Then I went on Google Images, and of course, lots of shark pictures popped up. Some big, some not so big, but there were some scary teeth and large sharks in the mix. Now, I often pretend I'm cool and easygoing, as we say, as cool as a cucumber.

But I immediately pictured giant sharks circling us in the water, trying to decide which one to bite first. That's when I remembered my therapist talking about automatic negative thoughts. They're those little lies your brain tells you when you're stressed out. And she told me, okay, fight your fears with facts. So I started digging.

And turns out in South Carolina, there are usually three to six shark bites reported per year. And almost all are minor. Most bites happen near piers. So that one long wooden structure that usually sticks out into an ocean. Sometimes there are piers with fishermen on them. Sometimes it's just a nice place to walk.

And yeah, around the piers, there tend to be more sharks. Most of the attacks that have occurred in South Carolina involve surfers or swimmers wearing shiny jewelry or bright bathing suits. And when they're on their own, so not in a group of other people. The sharks near the shore, they're usually juveniles. So they're curious,

but small. Their teeth are smaller. And according to my research, they might nibble, but they won't gobble you up. In other words, they might chew on your leg, maybe. If you're unlucky, it's still uncommon, but they won't gobble you up, especially if you're near the shore and in the area where there are other swimmers.

So yeah, the next day we decided, in spite of the shark stats, that we would go to Folly Beach. And honestly, Lucas and I agreed it might be one of the best beaches we've ever been to. We'd heard it's actually possible to find shark teeth there.

especially at low tide. And a lot of people in the past have found big, black, very, very old shark teeth from megalodons and other

shark species. So that's a really cool place to do that. There are also other islands off the coast of South Carolina where you can go hunting for shark teeth. It's an activity that people like to take part in. But the point is, yeah, the beach was nice. The sand was warm.

That wasn't surprising, but the water was surprisingly nice. It's really common to have freezing, icy cold waters off the coast of California in the Pacific. The Pacific Ocean is very chilly, especially when you're around the San Francisco Bay Area. But in Charleston area, it's warm. I mean, you have no problem.

inching your way into the water. And where we were sitting, there was a nice light breeze under the pier. We spent the whole day jumping over waves, running into the ocean, and letting Milo dig giant holes in the sand. He loved it. His tail never stopped wagging. Wagging means going back and forth and back and forth.

And the cherry on top, in other words, the best thing, the thing that made the whole thing better, which was already good, was finding a little snow cone shack right there next to the pier. That was one of the days at the beach. The other day we went to a beach bar that sold virgin piña coladas. So a fancy mocktail with pineapple and coconut.

Mocktail is another way to say non-alcoholic, right? It's mocking a cocktail, but it's not a real cocktail. Anyway, it was the beach vacation we needed, especially with those nice, nice treats out there. And one of the most unforgettable moments happened when we were relaxing under the pier with our snow cones.

As the tide went out, small pools of water were left behind in the sand where the poles of the pier were, and in one of those, we spotted something very weird.

It looked like an alien spaceship had landed. It turns out it was a horseshoe crab. If you've never seen one, they look like creatures from ancient times. They have a round hard shell on the top and a long pointy tail. A lifeguard came over and picked it up and informed us, because I thought it was a stingray, to be honest.

She was like, yeah, these guys are harmless, but since little kids crawl into the pools of shallow water, they might whip the kid with its tail, and so it's best to move it. So we watched as she picked the crab up and brought it to deeper water to release it, and it was flapping its tail as it sort of swam off into the sea.

Such a cool moment. Sort of a little reminder that the beach is full of wild, mysterious life. Horseshoe crabs, I learned afterwards, because Lucas really likes to research animals, that they have been around for 450 million years. So they're older than dinosaurs.

Because the lifeguards were next to me, I took the opportunity to ask them some questions for my own interest and also for you guys. I wanted to know what the deal is with sharks off the coast of South Carolina. And this would also apply to some of those other warm water areas that do get quite a few shark attacks. And one of the guy lifeguards said, yeah, sharks are out there. So just be smart about it.

He also mentioned that people should be more aware of jellyfish. Jellyfish come during specific seasons, and they'll come in groups. Sometimes there's the Portuguese man-of-war out there, which is incredibly dangerous. And when there's jellyfish, you do not want to go out in the water because there's a big chance you'll get stung.

He also mentioned that in South Carolina, the alligator attacks are far more dangerous than the shark attacks. So just some food for thought. So one thing about visiting the South is you've got to try Southern food. And I did a whole episode on Southern food in the past, which I'll post in the episode notes. But

This time, we saw a different type of Southern food. We stopped at a seafood shack, a small, casual place that allowed dogs. And on the menu, I saw half a pound of frog legs. In the past, I've watched documentaries, or maybe one very long documentary because it was interesting, about hunting for frogs in the South.

So it's called frog gigging. That's the practice of hunting frogs at night, typically for food. And usually people that go frog gigging are looking for the American bullfrog because they have huge, meaty legs and they're found in swamps, marshes,

and ponds, also creeks, and especially in South Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Now, it's kind of crazy how it's done. You can see in the documentary that I saw, it was a father and son, and you go out at nighttime, and you spot the bullfrog because of the reflection in their eyes.

The point is, I thought, okay, this is really interesting that that's on the menu. I mentioned it to my six-year-old and she's like, mom, I want to try frog legs. And I love that Julia is not a picky eater. I try and literally feed into that. And so I ordered them. They came breaded and deep fried. And everyone says frog legs taste like chicken. I have to agree.

We both ate them. Clara ate them too. But I'll admit, I'm not sure if I'll do it again. Would you ever taste frog legs? Can you get them where you live? Having panty lines when wearing a cute dress isn't so cute, is it? The solution probably seems obvious. Like, why not just wear a thong? Maybe this is embarrassing, but for the longest time, I couldn't.

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Another day, we drove to Cypress Gardens, which is a blackwater swamp about 40 minutes from the city. If you've ever seen the movie The Notebook, you'll recognize it. There was a beautiful scene with Ryan Gosling. So cute.

and Rachel McAdams inside of a little rowboat and they feed swans. And it's just one of the best movie scenes I think I've ever seen. It's very dramatic and it's just beautiful. And I thought one day I'm going to visit and that scene was shot in Cypress Gardens. So it was on my bucket list.

In other words, it was one of the things I wanted to do before I kick the bucket. And to kick the bucket is an expression that means to die. Yes, it was something that I managed to do before kicking the bucket. So we took a small rowboat out with a guide and floated through the still dark waters surrounded by towering cypress trees.

They shoot up right from the water, which is really cool to see. It's not something that I'm used to. We don't have very many swamps in California. And I don't think they're in North Carolina either. But it felt like something from a storybook. And we actually saw an alligator on that trip. It was really, really cool.

And speaking of alligators, here's a fun and slightly scary stat. There are about 100,000 alligators living in South Carolina. According to our guide, Cypress Gardens is home to about 40 to 60 of them.

And if you have seen the notebook, the swan scene from the movie was actually filmed there in winter when the gators were sitting on the banks of the water and not in the water. Because as you can imagine, that would have been a disastrous scene. It would not have been so romantic if there were gators with those swans.

That visit got me thinking about the movie The Notebook. Of course, it was a film adaptation from the Nicholas Sparks novel The Notebook. And yeah, it got me thinking. If you're learning English and are looking for something to read, something fun and emotional, then his books are really a great option.

They're not too complex in terms of vocabulary, so the language is pretty straightforward. And what I think is really cool is that the author lives in North Carolina, and most of his books as of 2025, he has 23 hit novels, and 18 of them take place in the South.

And so if you want to get a feel for what Charleston is like and get a little bit of a cultural vibe while you read, then definitely check his books out. There are also a lot of film adaptations of his books. So The Notebook, Dear John, A Walk to Remember. If you already know the story from the movie, then it's also a great way to boost your English by reading the books as well.

I have to say, traveling with a dog, when he's got to be by your side at all times, wasn't always easy. So we couldn't go inside most restaurants or museums. We had to plan everything around Milo. But watching him chase the birds and dig in the sand alongside my daughters, who were making sandcastles, it was really worth it. Very cool to see.

And one thing I realized on this trip is that if you struggle talking to people in English, get a dog. I've never talked to more strangers in my entire life than during the past month. That's how long he's been part of our family.

And everyone stops and asks to pet him. Everyone wants to know how old he is and what breed he is. And it really boosts the energy in the day. Even when it's hot outside, just talking to people can make you forget about the heat. It's kind of nice. But one thing I did want to mention is that I noticed something I learned about in a recent episode about the Great Smoky Mountains.

I mentioned that in the South, the undersides of porches are often painted a color of blue called haint blue, and it's to ward off, to prevent, restless spirits.

The word haint comes from the word haunt. And this practice comes from Gola Geechee folklore, passed down by enslaved West Africans living in the coastal South. So in this tradition, right, the haints or these restless spirits may try to enter homes. And the belief is that they can't cross water.

So painting the ceiling paint blue, so this light, peaceful blue, it tricks them into thinking it's sky or water, and it stops them from coming inside. Isn't that cool?

So as we were driving through downtown Charleston, I started to pay attention to the bottoms of the porch ceilings or the ceilings of porches. And so many of them were painted paint blue. It's kind of cool to know that backstory for that aesthetic. And it really is aesthetically pleasing. Downtown

Downtown Charleston is just so charming with their big wraparound front porches, a lot of them with rocking chairs. There's so many Victorian-style houses and those cobblestone streets.

It's amazing to visit a place that looks good and then when it has the history that you get to learn too. We didn't talk much about the historical aspects of Charleston. I will for sure in a future episode. But yeah, it's nice to have that mix of beauty and history and then also be in the middle of all the cool wildlife.

So from flies to horseshoe crabs, frog legs, sharks, and alligators in the swamp, I feel like we got the full Southern experience. I'd like to add one other little fun fact about Charleston. Charleston is famous for its pineapple fountain.

And pineapples in general are a symbol of southern hospitality. So back in the day, sailors would spear pineapples on fences, and it was a message to people passing by saying, hey, I'm home, come visit.

And while on the topic of Southern hospitality, just outside of Charleston, there's a place called Somerville, and they say it's the birthplace of sweet tea, which if you've been to the South, you know it's in every restaurant. It's very common, and it's something that you would have on a front porch with your friends and neighbors.

And last but not least, Charleston is often called one of America's most haunted cities. So kind of the same as Savannah, there are a lot of ghost tours. There are legends from the graveyards. There are spooky old jails and

A bunch of stories that you'll learn about if you go on one of the tours. It's just another fun little thing you can do when you are in the city. So if you ever head to South Carolina, definitely take a trip to Charleston and to Savannah, Georgia, if you're in the area. That's one of my all-time favorite cities in the U.S. As for going again in summer...

think I would wait until October, maybe. But one thing's for sure, this first trip was just the tip of the iceberg. In other words, it was just the beginning. I hope you enjoyed that episode. If you would like the full transcript so that you can read along with this story, please

then be sure to sign up to premium content. You'll find the link to season four in the episode notes and on the website at AmericanEnglishPodcast.com. Hope you have a nice rest of your day. Bye.

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