Making the Best out of a Situation

It is like a weight being lifted off of my shoulders. I have survived the first quarter of my final year in Lexington, Kentucky, and currently homeward bound for fall break. I have four lovely days at home eating nothing but authentic Mexican food and drinking kale and spinach juice. The daydream itself is glorious even though the reality of it all is still a nine-hour flight away.Nothing really new to report on my behalf as far as my experience in Lexington goes. It is the same place; same people, same culture, and I still feel trapped as an outsider looking in to this funky way of life I will never completely understand.

All I know is that I made it through the most difficult part, and the rest is downhill from here. I look forward to embarking on the journey of the rest of my life. Even just on this plane ride, I feel free and I don’t feel so trapped. Just the fact that I made it through fall break, means that I can make it through the rest of this year as this past month and a half is the longest straight period of time I will have to stay in Lexington.

In part, I feel bad for my brother. I know he wants me to be happy in Lexington, and it will be bittersweet leaving him, but I just was not able to adapt to the ways of life here in the manner that he did. I will miss him, and I will miss not being two minutes away from him at all times, as it has been my entire life, but I realize that it is time to venture off on my own, not only away from my mother’s protective grasp, but also from the security blanket provided by my brother that I have grown to cherish when I needed a familiar face.I never told him truly how I felt, he’s not that type of guy, but he knows me, and deep down I think he knows that I need to be on the west coast. I know I have to return to school in a few short days and I know that time is going to fly by, but I am so ecstatic to be able to have this moment of relaxation and bliss back in Laguna Beach, even for a little while.

 Nothing lasts forever, but it is the little moments that will carry me through to my ultimate destination wherever that may be.  It may be USC, it may be an unforeseen path I have yet to ponder, but no matter where I go next, I will be a better, more educated person for having been through this experience in Lexington.

Rambler Newspaper Editorial

For those of my readers who do not know, I am an editor of the Transylvania University Rambler Newspaper. I have written a lot lately about my perceptions of culture, as it has been a major factor in my life in the past few years as a college student. I have been socialized into new cultures and experienced emotional shock due to the new cultures. Well, instead of just venting and writing on this blog, as I enjoy doing because it is basically just a public journal, I decided that I find value in my opinions and if written well, others may find value in them as well. So, instead of just writing a slam piece (as I usually do on here), I put together a more diplomatic version of my opinions and pointed out the things that I would change in order to make my university culture a better place to be. Check out my Rambler Editorial at the link below.

Editor's opinion of Southern Culture