From the Eyes of a Freshman

Freshman year of highschool seems to be an understood dark period of the average high school experience. Some darker than others, but everyone usually agrees that their proudest moments didnt occur in the ninth grade.

I'm no different. I've had my share of bad wardrobe choices, mental breakdowns, and "word vomity" conversations with boys.

But most of those instances were forgotten. Tucked away somewhere, where hopefully they'll stay forgotten, in the minds of my graduating class. But there is one particular moment I can't seem to shake from my memory.....

The final bell had finally rung and I was free from another anxiety ridden day of highschool. I didnt know what the big deal about high school was anyway. I wanted to retreat back to my safe haven of the 8th grade. I was the new kid in town, but it didn't really matter in a school of 2200--now 2202 students including my sister and I.

I did manage to join the cheerleading squad--but that had proved to be wasted energy, I still didnt have any real friends. (Ironically, it was the cheerleaders I was most afraid of. Which is what made this moment particularly embarassing.)

I kept readjusting the piece of plywood in my arms, that was way too big for my five foot one frame, as I made my way to claim my spot on the brick wall to wait for my mom to come save me. I just couldn't seem to get it in a comfortable position. I had yet to figure out what this stupid chunk of a tree had to do with math anyway.

As I contemplated the relevance of freshman Algebra, an unexpected raise in the sidewalk caught my foot and wouldn't let go. I tried to save it, play it off as a trip instead of an all-out fall, but before I knew it, the 3x3 ft square of wood went flying in front of me while the rest of my body slammed into the pavement.

The girls thatI was walking behind, my teammates to be exact, stopped laughing long enough to ask if I was ok. Pure obligation, I'm sure.

Of course I wasnt ok. My ego was severely bruised. But physically, I'd survive. After the cheerleaders dissipated, I gathered my things, and my pride, and continued on to my corner to wait for my mommy. Whom I suddenly needed to see IMMEDIATELY.

When my well adjusted sister finally showed up I was still fighting back tears. When she asked me what was wrong, I merely pointed to the newly discovered rip in my favorite jeans, right in the knee. Always sensitive, Jannelle just laughed like those jerk teammates of mine, which made the tears finally come. She was supposed to be on my side.

I pushed my legs out in front of me and gave in to my emotions and cried for my future high school career that was only bound to get worse.






(This was a true story, but the gloomy foreshadowing is totally empty. I had a GREAT high school experience!)

The Soundtrack of my Life

This looks so fun, I got the idea from my Bff Lals, who inevitably got it from someone else, so we're all just big 'ol followers, but whatever.

1.Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)

2.Put it on shuffle

3.Press play

4.For every question, type the song that's playing

5.When you go to a new question, press the next button

6.Don't lie just to be cool ...psht. like I would do THAT.

This is the soundtrack of my Life

Opening Credits: "Get UP" Ciara, Step Up soundtrack, (one of my favorite movies, so...appropriate)


Birth: "Different Now" Out of Eden, (kind of a cool metaphor, if you've heard the song.)

Waking Up: "These Four Walls" Miley Cyrus, (I've never really listened to this song, so...nothin cool to say...kind of angsty to wake up to though)

First Day At School: "Everybody Wants Ya" S Club 7 ( heh pretty motivating.)

Falling In Love: "One Step at a Time" Jordin Sparks. (cool)

Fight Song: "Like You" Bow Wow and Ciara. (Really?... Seriously?... I was hoping for something cooler for my FIGHT song...boo. Dang zune...)

Breaking Up: "Each Other" Katharine McPhee (this is a break up song so...score.)

Prom: "Hydrolics" B5...( I dont even know why this is on my zune.)

Life's Okay: "Say it" Britt Nicole ( I like this song...upbeat.)

Mental Breakdown: "Fairy Tales" by Jojo ( every time I hear this song, I have a mental break down so...score again.)

Flashback: "Ordinary People" by John Legend (atleast he sounds good.)

Wedding: "Shortie Like Mine" by Bow Wow and Chris Brown. ( HA HA HA HA HA ...I wish someone would try and sing this at my wedding...I'd shove cake in their nose.)

Birth of Child: "Shawty Get Loose" by Lil Mama, Chris Brown, T Pain. ( heh. that would be funny.)

Final Battle: "Don't Stop Moving", S Club 7 (Appropriate, cause more than likely I would be running in my final battle...or dancing.)

Death Scene: "Lucky", Britney Spears ( ha ha ha ha ha...i hope this is self explanatory, cause I have nothing to say.)

Funeral Song: "The Christmas Song" The Jackson 5 ( someone PLEASE play this at my funeral HA HA HA HA)

End Credits: "Do it to it" Cherish ( overall a successful movie I'd say :) )

Cause we're goin to the promised land!!!!!!!!!

Ok, so on Monday, I started my first day of my new life at a new college! This school is like a billion times better than my old school in terms of location, racial make up... a lot of things. So naturally, as anyone is when they're about to embark on greatness, I was majorly nervous.

But, fortunately, or unfortunately, dependin on how u look at it, those feelings were quickly stifled once I was put back into the classroom setting, and the realization hit that it was, in fact, still school.

My new school became de-glamorized, any my promised land was no more than the old one but in a city where they actually have their own newspaper and dont just bum off of the college's.

But, after the initial shock wore off, that the fantasy school didnt quite live up, I put things into perspective.

Did I really come here for the thriving academics?...No.

If that were the only factor, I probably would have stayed at my old school, cause I'm pretty sure they are higher up on the academic food chain.

But this school offers SOOO much more than that. Being in an urban, downtown environment, I'm exposed to a lot more things than I would be out in the country.

I wanna be a journalist, well I'm just a hop, skip away from countless newspapers and magazines, waiting for their next intern to victimize.

I'm around a greater variety of people, the endless sea of sorority girls, was getting a little tedious.

But just being in this new environment has given me the chance to learn about myself...for instance...

I've noticed that I can be very introverted in a new situation. I guess that's to be expected, but some people can just walk into a room of strangers and be the life of the party.

--Maybe 'life of the pary' isn't the exact expression I wanted to use, but 'life of the classroom', just doesnt sound the same.

So anyway, usually on the first few days of class I try to sit in the back and observe. The only class that I participate in pretty early on, in English. It's my only honors class, and there aren't a whole lot of people in there. Probably like 15 or 16, Actually no, there are 21. I remember her counting.

So anyway, I don't know what it is, but I feel more comfortable in an English class. Ever since AP Lang senior year when I became accustomed to reading all of my rough drafts in front of the class...talk about being vulnerable.

So, during my time of observing, I've logged some pretty interesting personalities into my brain. I felt like Harriet the Spy, pretty hard core.

But like Harritet, I've learned my lesson about writing that many details about people. Cause no matter what you do, what you write always seems to find it's way to get back to people.

And the people I'm bound to write about wont be like Sport and Janie and forgive me and be my friend again at the end of 90 minutes.

But, who knows, maybe one day when I'm out of college I'll write about my college experiences, in full detail, when I won't be seeing these people everyday. Maybe I'll still change the names...just in case.