For those of you who don't know, Lisa and I have returned to college. Its one of the main reasons her and I vanished for so long with the blog, as we've been trying everything we could to stay afloat financially, while trying to decide what our future will hold. Anyways, periodically I'm gonna through my essays and work online onto the blog just for the fun of it.
Our first assignment in English Comp 1, was to write an essay over our first day/week of college, picking an event and showing what it meant to you. It was more of a participation grade, as we had to read other people's papers in class and tell the class what we got out of it. Here is my essay, entitled A Return to College.
--
I
honestly never thought I’d see another first day of school. When I left high school, oh so many years
ago, the one emotion I felt about college was dread. I honestly did not understand why I was
reentering one school after leaving another.
But then, I did not really understand what life was all about. Every day was a struggle with doubt, coupled
with the lack of understanding, and the entire experience was nothing but a
learning experience, showing me that my goals, dreams, and aspirations were
unrealistic.
Most
people want others to be ashamed, or completely regret leaving college. Honestly, I never did either, because I was
shown what I did not want to do with my life.
But I always regretted never going back.
And now, finally, I am back.
Perhaps
I was quite a bit shyer in my youth, even though I still feel shy deep
down. I don’t feel intimidated anymore
by the social conjectures that come with high school or what immediate follows
it. I look around me and I see all
manner of people from all walks of life, and I wonder if and when I’ll meet
friends. I only wish I could be at the
campus more, as being a commuter, and only being here three days a week will
surely exclude me from many of the organizations and events that I would love
to be a part of.
It
helps that all my teachers are easily approachable. In my first college, the classes were far larger,
and most of the teachers had written their own books. I am willing to bet that more than half of my
old teachers I never said a word to. Yet
now, I find it hard not to speak out in class, especially when everyone is
being shy and quiet. I’m always quick
with a story and want to tell the teacher after class if it honestly has
nothing to do with the class itself. I
want to take knowledge from them, whereas before, I just hoped I would pass….
All
in all, my first day, even my first week has been an amazing experience. For the first time, in a very long time, I
feel like I’m completing a goal in a far grander scheme of life. Maybe life has shown me I don’t need to be as
serious and introverted as I was before.
Maybe my experiences have shown me that teachers aren’t something that I
should be intimidated by, as they are just people, with their own stories, and
hopes, and dreams. Maybe the fact that
my heart has settled down has caused me to truly enjoy my time among others who
want to learn and grow outside of what working in a factory will teach them.
Or
maybe, just maybe, this is a great campus, full of great teachers and students
whom I’m just enjoying getting to know.
I know I’m not afraid now, to work hard for what I want, to take chances
and risks. The one thing I am certain
of, is that I am going to cease this opportunity and turn this great first week
into a great many weeks as they come.
--
All in all, she didn't mark too much on the work, I mispelled Seize as Cease, ugh.... One part needs revision, and some sentences could use better work. Her comments make me realize I still need to work on 'long sentences.' My main issue is, I can never truly edit my own work. Hopefully I can work on that over time.
Anyways, hope you enjoyed this essay I did for class! Any comments you want to make on it?
