I’m sorry that I’m crying, it’s just that I’m so happy to be here right now.
Tomorrow is orientation at Wellesley College. I think it’s important to pause once in a while to look back, as cliche as the premise of this post is.
Roughly a year ago, I picked up The Lord of the Rings from a library bookshelf, and it changed my life.
A year ago, I would have been incredulous to the notion that today I would be a day away from attending an all-women’s liberal arts college in Massachusetts.
A year ago, I had my heart firmly set on preparing impressive, articulate essays for the Common App, ED-ing to Johns Hopkins University, and majoring in BioMedical Engineering.
This time last year, the thought of starting and maintaining a blog had not crossed my mind yet.
525,600 minutes. (A year ago, I had never heard of the musical, Rent.)
“Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes (Turn and face the strange)
Turn and face the strain.”-David Bowie
(One year ago, lots of people didn’t listen to David Bowie.)
One year ago, my vision was so fogged up that I could only see a week’s worth of assignments ahead of me instead of a long-term future.
One year ago, I shakily took up the mantle of leading my high school’s Christian youth group.
A year ago, my best friend’s father was still alive.
Now, I am a few hundred books and poems wiser and lived vicariously through them.
I’ve dropped time on the 200m IM and 100m Butterfly.
I’ve worked my way from a predicted score of 3 to a real-life 5 on my AP Calculus BC exam.
Now, I’ve been to Europe and I have seen Greece and Italy.
I have tasted alcohol for the first time (and really really enjoyed it, but shh don’t tell).
I own a MacBook Air and have upgraded to a HuaWei smartphone.
More importantly, I have left high school and am prepared to begin the next era of my education.
So, here goes. This hour is the breath before the plunge. And I am savoring it with all my senses.
Hope your orientation went well! Wow, those are some really interesting and good accomplishments!
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It was great, Fernanda, thanks for the nice words!
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My pleasure :))
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Enjoy college! And learn as much as you can. There’s no such thing as too much knowledge 😃 but don’t be vogue, be specific.
Best wishes,
E.
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Thank you E for the blessings. I wish you the best!
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Hi Gloria, I wish you the best on the next leg of your journey. Your future is brimming with new possibilities, more than you can imagine. Remember to let the journey take you where you need to be and laugh a little (or a lot!) along the way! When I get back to Boston in a years time, maybe we can get together? I’m at Tufts, which is a few miles north of downtown Boston. Last school year, I visited Rebecca Leu (if you remember her from ISB) at Wellesley regularly. Now that you’re at Wellesley, I’ll have another friend to visit 🙂
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Hey Claire, I really enjoyed reading ypur comment! Of course I know Rebecca, the three of us went to Honduras together a few years ago! That would be so great. Best wishes to you on your gap year, I will be following your blog closely!
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Hi! I looooove your blog! Your mind is amazing! ❤
Great post about how so many things can change in a year, btw.
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Hello Liz! You are so encouraging, thank you so much for the nice words!
Amen, a year is certainly what you make it, but things will change nonetheless 🙂
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Seriously, I’m like an instant fan after just a while on your blog. Haha! The site itself is simple yet aesthetically pleasing. It shows your writing skills and talent as an artist. ❤
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Aw thank you! I’m so glad you found me out of all the many blogs out there! Keep spreading all the love ❤ ❤ It means a lot!
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Me too. I think I saw your blog from an award nomination. Thank God for random clicking and links! Haha! ❤
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Great article! 🙂
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Thank you very much Shante!
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Sooooo Gloria — about the time you were about to launch off on you first year in college, you wrote a comment on my blog, — and I’m over here on yours hoping to find out how your freshman year went :-). I love this post, your reflections on the year leading up to college. I’d love to see a companion post about your freshman year . . .
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Yes Ann! I remember leaving that comment there as well. I would say that overall I had a wonderful experience and am excited to pursue my majors, although there were a few bumps in the road sometimes (which is exactly expected). That is a great idea! Thank you for the suggestion.
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