Laura D’Andrea
Dr. Chaple
English 1101
September 6, 2014
Just Have to Have a Little Faith
“Life is a journey, with problems to solve, lessons to learn, and experiences to enjoy” (Ritu Ghatourey). August 10th, 2014, sitting in a wooden rocking chair overlooking the circular courtyard by my new home, The Oaks, I realized that the next chapter in my life was about to begin. As I debated rather or not to begin unpacking the numerous amount of boxes that waited in my room for me, the sky began to turn from a calm, clear blue, to a dark grey. To me, this was not a good sign for my first day of being on my own. Unaware of what I was supposed to do first with my day; a choice between unpacking, grocery shopping, going to my first meeting for football training, or even something as simple as setting up a printer. My family and I piled into my room to unpack my things; there was nothing but silence. Nobody was speaking or making eye contact, just pure silence. “It hadn’t occurred to me that I would have to let that go too” (Strayed, 211). Letting go of my family was one of the scariest things I’ve ever had to do. “I knew that if I allowed fear to overtake me, my journey was doomed. Fear, to a great extent, is born of a story we tell ourselves, and so I chose to tell myself a different story from the one women are told. I decided I was safe. I was strong. I was brave. Nothing could vanquish me” (Strayed).
Everyone has always told me “college will be the best time of your life”, which could very well be true. But what most people don’t realize is that there is a lot more to college life than just parties. What most people thought when I told them about my excitement for college and finally being on my own, was that I was just in it for the parties. In reality, my main goal is to better myself every day to get closer to achieving my goals in Sports Medicine. Ever since I was a little girl, walking into my very first day of kindergarten at Alpharetta Elementary School, I have loved to learn new things and broaden my imagination. At the beginning of my senior year of high school, I was already preparing myself for the journey that I was about to embark upon. From the countless hours of college applications, to the numerous shopping trips to Target, Bed Bath and beyond, and Best Buy, it was all starting to feel surreal. Couple months before I had to report to college, I could feel my mother becoming more and more attached, always wanting to spend that extra minute with me whenever she could. You see, my mother is my best friend; always has been an always will be. Through all the arguments and all the struggles, she has always been my rock, and the person I know will never let me down. What Paul was for Cheryl, is what my mother has always been for me. So when it came down to college, she was always there to help me. The very first application I sent out was to Kennesaw State University, which was my mom’s favorite choice. A couple weeks after I sent in my application, I was very fortunate to receive the news that I was accepted into college. Even though I had already been accepted into a college, I still wanted to apply to more to see if the options for my future would expand. The second application that I submitted was none other than, University of West Georgia. Fortunately, I was also accepted into West Georgia, which I was thrilled about because a family that is very near and dear to me are alumni and had spoke very highly of the university. My mother and I had numerous conversations about which college would be a better fit for me, but we always seemed to disagree. When it came down to it, “I simply made a leap of faith and pushed on in the direction where I’d never been” (Strayed, 97).
Within the first week of being in college, there were several thoughts that always seemed to cross my mind. “What do you do? What do you do” (Strayed, 11), “most likely I’ll flunk out anyway” (Strayed, 17), and