1 year, 10 days, and counting...
That's how long I have to be a teenager. Then, I'll be 20. That seems so old. It just seems so weird to only have about a year left as a teenager. It just seems that middle school wasn't that long ago...
I remember in 7th grade, we went to Lake Moomaw in Virginia. It was interesting. The geese and the Whippoorwills were making noise all night. And then the next day we went canoeing. My job was to sit in the back and steer. I guess I wasn't that bad. There were two ways to change the direction of the canoe. The first was to use drag. You put your oar in the water, on whichever side you want to turn to, and then you just let the oar drag in the water. It causes that side to slow down, and not move as fast as the other side. This causes the boat to turn towards the slower side. The other way was for both canoers (is that a word??) Anyway, both canoers paddle on the same side and that also gets the boat to turn.
Then in 8th grade I went white water rafting in the fall, and DC in the Spring. That was awesome. The rafting was almost a religious experience. I love being on the water, in the water, near the water. I was the baby that wold run out into the ocean without caring if the water was too deep for me. Anyway, DC was fun, too. We toured the Vietnam and Korean war memorials at night as well as the Lincoln Memorial and gazing pool. I loved it. I definitely want to go back there sometime.
Then it was 9th grade, and 9-11 happened. I didn't know anyone personally who worked in either the Pentagon or the World Trade Towers. It was just the shock that someone would do that sort of thing that got me. I have to admit that I broke down and started bawling in the middle of English class. It was just so shocking. My graduating class was the last to go to DC. After that, they started taking the classes to Chattanooga. Not as exciting as DC, but still a nice place I'm sure. I've never been myself.
I moved that summer between 9th and 10th grade, from Roanoke, VA to Shelby, NC. I was pretty depressed. I didn't know anyone and I couldn't just go over and hang out with my friends in VA. And the worst part was the whole VA driving laws. In VA, you couldn't get your permit until 15 1/2. In NC, you can't get your permit until after you go through drivers ed. I didn't get to take drivers ed until the summer between my 10th and 11th grade years. And by the time I got my permit, two days before Thanksgiving my 11th grade year, they (DMV people) told me to just wait until I was 18 to get my license. That was even more depressing.
Anyway, sorry for divulging my life story. I guess you could say that I was happy to graduate high school. I had told so many people that if I cried at graduation it would be tears of joy because I would be getting out of the Hell hole. I was ready to move on, and I am so glad to be here, at UNC. I like being able to wake up an hour before classes and still get to class on time. I like being able to walk to almost everything I want to go to. I don't even mind the classes that much. Some of them are boring, but I just really like being here. That's my life right now, lots of work, lots of class time, but also a lot of fun and new experiences. Things to do, people to see and meet, parties. I mean, I got to go up on Franklin St. after beating Dook, and I got to be a part of 15,000-17,000 people who were also up there celebrating the win. I was a part of a community, and it didn't take an hour drive, crossing county and state borders to get to.
I love it...
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