Sunday whoo!

Hi... I'm feeling pretty good right now. It's lent and I gave up chocolate and sodas. So uhm, I'm patiently awaiting tomorrow so I can indulge a bit.

I'm also super excited for tomorrow because I'm in love with Postsecret, and the Sunday secrets are always an up-lifter.

How is everyone else?

College Fair

Today at school we had about 20 colleges from Mississippi come to show us information about their college. I have no idea what college I want to attend, though I have an idea how to find out. It takes research and reviewing, making list after list of college requirements, stats, and locations, and visiting each college you're considering. I haven't started to go out and actually see campuses up close. I'm still searching websites that have all the college info. neatly organized and all together. Still, it's very confusing.

At the fair every table representing a college would ask, "So, do you know what you'll be majoring in or what you're interested in?" I answered no, of course. Did they have a look of disapproval, of resignation? It surely seemed like it to me! But that's just my paranoid inner self thinking. She often kills my confidence. Anyway, I filled out an information card for all the colleges, and handing them back to each, I hoped they didn't notice that I had filled out every other one. I have a theory that colleges are less interested in you if you are interested in more than just that one college. I don't know if I'm right, though.

My pile of college brochures and scholarship details is getting bigger and more intimidating, and it's beginning to be a challenge for me to keep it all straight. As time goes on, it's getting harder for me to make any decisions at all for pete's sake! I'm only a little junior, and the weight of all this career crap is bringing me down. Does anyone have advice for me? I'd like that, and a better ACT score which hasn't changed the last three times I've taken that darn test.

Well, I can't expect all the answers to suddenly fall into my grasp so suddenly, but I would appreciate some input. Thanks :)

You don't have to go places to travel!

Yes, I'm sure this seems like a perfectly hypocritical statement to you. It is, if you want to get technical, but in today's economy there are a lot of people who just do not want to spend money where they don't have to. That doesn't stop us from visiting the Walt Disney World website, right? And we can always make that packing list for if we decide to merely jump in the car one day and get out of town.

The thing is, I'm 17-years-old and couldn't go anywhere even if I did have the money and desire. I'm not only an amateur-- I'm a hermit, essentially.

But this big world has a lot to offer right in front of my face. I'm on the internet! The source of all knowledge! The only thing to decide now is where my little fingers choose to venture.

For starters, who has ever wanted to backpack Europe? I know it's my dream. There is a sweet series of youtube videos about a bunch of teenagers who went after their graduation to some European countries. It's epic, here's the link to the first one: Euro Trip Part 1...

Where are my nature-lovers? You know there is a whole world right outside your front door. Sometimes it's simple to forget about the little beauties in life. Walk outside, go on... Well, after you read my blog. What do you see? The blue sky? The fresh air? Stuff you would normally enjoy if you were anywhere else except outside your front door? Walk on the grass, take a walk around the block. It's fun, and it might be new to you, just like travel. I've honestly never walked around my own block, but I wouldn't be smelling fresh air if I did.

What about just driving to the nearest new area around where you live? You know, just a few cities away. That's not really going places. It's just half an hour away maybe. But you can eat at a local restaurant, or you could see what type of events they're having. It's different and pleasant and pretty much free.

I love to travel, but the majority of the time I'm stuck at home which isn't so bad for me because I have a beach nearby and a movie theater. That's pretty much it, but it can still be fun if I try hard to make it fun. You can too, no matter what type of city you live in. Travel is about more than going places, hence the nifty subtitle quote-thing I have.

So long for now! Good luck with your packing list...

College, major, career, fastweb, er um, travel?

Okay, so for the past few weeks, I've been swamped by colleges emailing me and sending me cool brochures in the mail. It's great to know a college has your name in their files, but there are a lot of factors that go into deciding the best college. And before I can choose a college, I have to decide what the heck I want to do for the rest of my life, right?! I know, I know... This blog suggests that I've been wanting to be a travel journalist for the past few years. But that isn't something you just jump right into. So, I have narrowed it down to four possible majors: Journalism, International Relations, Political Science, or History. I have no basis for my choices other than the assumption that these may be fun/fulfilling. But they're all related, in some way or another, I believe. And they can all be applied to the final outcome of me traveling and writing for a living. So, I'm happy I guess. Four choices is a lot better than a four billion, which is what I'd been working with previously.
Another great discovery of mine is the power of college websites. Two in particular: fastweb.com and collegeboard.com. They are amazing because I can search a college and they give me all the stats, like average ACT score and number of entering freshman enrolled. It's actually addictive, in my opinion, since I've spent all this time without the help trying to figure out how to distinguish between different schools.

Jumping ahead: My homestay experience

When in Europe, we were required to stay with a local family for one weekend. The area where I would be staying temporarily was Amorbach, Germany. As we got out of the charter bus and gathered our suitcases, names were being called one by one to follow the next family. When it was my turn, I encountered a girl my age with voluminous, curly blond hair. Her name was Laura, and she led me to her dad who was waiting beside their compact car. I rode in the front seat to their quaint home, which was on the top of a hill. As Laura led me inside, she practiced her fluency in English by telling me how her family grew their own vegetables and raised chickens. I was won over by life in the old country almost immediately, but I would later discover some customs that I missed from America. For example, the first night I was with Laura, we walked to a local lake and all smoked a joint. It's not that I couldn't do that in the United States, but weed is far more tolerated in Europe, and I just was not expecting to be exposed to it so quickly or at all on my trip. However, Laura taught me a lot of things about her culture. In addition to pot being tolerated, children in Amorbach at birthday parties would normally smoke from a bong. Laura said it was pretty much expected. Something special that I didn't expect was finding an oriental shop, which sold second-hand goods and unique crafts.

The second day I was in town, Laura brought me shopping in the biggest town around Amorbach. I got to sneak onto the train, and it was the first time I had been to H & M. That night, we went to a 'party' which was really just a bonfire with a bunch of potheads. We soon left and went to a pizzeria around midnight. Laura then called her dad to pick us up, after Laura had smoked and drank some. It seems that her parents didn't mind, and that is a difference as well in culture. It dawned on me sometime during my home stay that Laura would be hitching a ride from her father probably until she was 18 because that is the minimum age one in Europe can get a license. Some high points of the stay not already covered included watching Die Hard, falling asleep with a huge poster of a pot leaf on the ceiling, suffering dehydration due to their love of 'carbonated' water, and playing guitar hero in the church's game room. All in all, it was a wonderful experience. I miss Laura, her family, her friends, and her town. I will go back sometime when I'm a 'real' journalist. Ahem!