This may be a little unorthodox, but [i]bear with me[/i], okay? The trip about which I’m going to blog just happens to be a field trip to [size=18]Lawrence, Kansas.[/size]
My excellent photography instructor, Mr. Rominishin, set up an art show in a very famous college's library, the Kenneth Spencer Research Library. The college was, of course, KU, or the University of Kansas. (That is its fancier title, but everyone I know just calls it KU.)
â–º QUARTER FINALIST 2012 TEEN TRAVEL WRITING SCHOLARSHIP
If you follow sports, you probably know that there is a [b]HUGE[/b] rivalry between two of the in-state colleges- University of Kansas and Kansas State University. Don’t let the similar-looking names fool you, the only other thing the schools have in common is their die-hard fans. Now I felt no preference to either of these colleges my whole life until this trip. This trip may have [u]changed my life[/u], or at the very least, one of my dispositions.
It started with a (long) bus ride to the college town and ended with a (satisfied) ride back. In between, my classmates and I: practically raced each other up the gigantic and insanely slanted hills; enjoyed the mini-exhibit of old photos, daguerreotypes, and other things set up for us in the beautifully relic library with its multi-century old tomes and red, plush carpeting; wandered down the culturally various and vibrant Massachusetts Street for lunch, where my small group and I encountered lovely little shops. (I regretted not bringing any money with me); and many other fun things. Lawrence is a beautiful, [b]beautiful[/b] town and it made me realize that I do not even have to leave the state to attain the things I want out of my college experience.
(Back story: I am a seventeen year-old girl who does not like the way her parents overprotect her. I understand that it is, in a way, their duty to ensure "my best interests" but at almost the age of an adult in this country, I no longer appreciate these efforts. I wish to have more freedom, to make more decisions on my own, to be more independent. That is why the dream of college has always given me such pleasure. I imagine being far, far away from my parents and considerably closer to my own self, wishes, and rules.)
On this trip to Lawrence, I realized just how far, far away about an hour from my home town could be. While I am still unsure of which colleges I am going to send applications this very upcoming semester, I know that KU will be one of them. I had no preference in the inner-state rivalry before because I did not care about either school. I thought I was going to high-tail it out to anywhere as long as it meant being the independent adult I now know I can be anywhere. Yet even with this knowledge, I still find myself pining for the streets in Lawrence, taking KU’s side. The beautiful campus with many gorgeous trees, the crazy cool little shops where I could blow all of my money and still be content, the energy in the air, everything about the city is refusing to be forgotten when I make the choice of where I am going to be spending the next four, or maybe more, years of my life. All because of a school field trip that I took in my first semester as a junior. Maybe that doesn't seem special to any of you, but to me it's beautifully eye-opening and potentially life-changing.
