As my time here at Brown begins to draw to a close, I have developed a strange sensation in my heart. I am sure that I shall miss Brown, which is home to so many new memories and so many experiences. Although I have only been away from home for three weeks, it feels as if I have always been at Brown, and all else was and will only be a dream. But I know that Brown is the real dream, and in less than a week I shall be returning to the reality that is outside of this sanctuary of knowledge and education. And there is so much more here than just education from books and teachers. Here, I have learned about being myself and being an independent young adult, and what that means to me.
During the past two weeks at Brown, I must admit, sometimes I longed for companionship and missed my old friends from Pinole Valley. I felt as if I didn’t fit in here, with all of these students who were taking six to seven AP and IB classes a year, and bragged about the elite status of their school. But I think that I was far more proud of coming from WCCUSD and competing here with them. In addition, while I have been here at Brown, I learned that a large part of the college experience is interacting with others, but an equally significant portion is being by myself, and dealing with issues by myself. That’s why it is so important to have friends, but I must also be ready to survive by myself. I noticed that above all else, it is important to have both, independence and friendship.
Austin,
ReplyDeleteLONG before your time there was a movie called 2001: A Space Odyssey. There was a scene in the movie where a primitive man--more ape than man--realizes that he can use a tool (the femur bone of a large animal) to accomplish his goals (beating into submission a less enlightened gang of apes). At that moment he throws the bone into the air and the movie morphs from prehistoric times to 2001 in outer space.
This was the epiphany for Man that moved him into the next phase of his evolution.
Now, imagine that you are the prehistoric man and the bone is Brown. What will the next scene be for you, Austin?
And by the way, as you prepare to leave Brown, be prepared to go back to wearing long pants and snuggling under your blankets at night. While you all are enjoying the warmth that only a New England summer can bring, we're suffering through yet another summer cold streak. The temp outside is a 'warm' 69 degrees with a breeze. But don't worry about us, Austin, we all have enough clothing and blankets to keep us warm.