WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD
“At first glance it may appear too hard. Look again.
Always look again.”
--Mary Anne Rodmacher
Oy vey,
this has been a doozy of a week. The
sentiment of the past week was mixed with sadness, excitement, and sheer
desperation. It is incredibly odd and
sad to think that my freshman year is quickly coming to an end. I kid you not I can vividly remember being
dropped off at my dorm back in August, unpacking my things, and then begging my
parents to take me back home to Charlotte.
Convinced that there was no possibility of adjustment in the near
future, I spent the first two weeks crying in the shower and trying to work out
in my head where the flaw in the system was and why in the hell heck UNC
admitted me. Since then, I have grown to
realize that it is not all about being smart…it’s about tricking people into
thinking you’re smart and I have met people that I can confidently say I
will be friends with for many years to come.
While I am none too pleased about leaving my friends and knowledge
behind for the summer, the end of the summer is approaching with bittersweet
anxiety because there’s a catch to being released for break. Eight classes, four exams, one paper, one
group project, and a room’s worth of packing stand between me and my ticket
outta here. The weeks just before exams are of rare form and consist of high
tensions, long nights in the library, and Grande cups of coffee…yuck. Anywho, this is what happened in the real
world this past week. Can’t wait to see
what is in store for the coming one!
Exam Reality:
#1: There are rare forms of gems in Chapel Hill and I was
lucky enough to discover one this past week!
Meet Lee, a very handy tow truck driver who is awarded “most chivalrous
man of the week”, an award I made up upon meeting him. While he lacks valid competition, his efforts
are not to be ignored and were truly appreciated when my roommate’s beloved car
“Big Black” broke down on Monday. She
has AAA (wouldn’t it be nice? Hint hint mom and dad) and after calling, Lee
arrived a short twenty minutes later with a smile on his face and an
interesting story about a race of people in Tennessee called Mulungees. I do not know if that is correct spelling or
if there is even such a people but Lee spent a half hour talking about them as
he not only inspected Mackenzie’s car but also replaced the battery and checked
the alternator (yup I know car terms).
He was so nice and the whole time I was listening to him (and judging
his poor choice of colleges…he went to/cheers for NC State. Ew.), all I could
think about was writing about him in my blog…so of course I stealthily took
some pictures. Anywho Lee was a gem
beneath all his car grime and Mackenzie and I are truly grateful for all your
help. And stories about Mulungees.
#2: There is absolutely nothing better than a dog. If you don’t like dogs, I submit that you are
crazy. I seriously don’t know anything
that is better than a dog!!!! (except for maybe a baby that doesn’t cry but
those are so rare that I’m happy to settle on dogs) I came across this story
about a dog named Grace who stood guard over her dog friend after he had been
hit by a car. After pining after both puppies
for a little, I got on pinterest and pinned some other cute pictures of
puppies. What am I most excited about
when I get to go home? Seeing my dogs!
The best part about the story is that Grace’s mommy and daddy finally came
forward and she is actually a Maggie J
(scroll to the bottom to watch the video. good luck not crying!)
#3: Life is precious.
I try not to taint the real world issues with sad stories usually but
there is something to be said for the lessons we learn from the sad things in
life. This past week one of my sorority
sister’s boyfriend, a dear friend to many, passed away in a tragic accident in
St. Thomas. Just a few years older than
me, James Alexander graduated from Chapel Hill in 2010. His death has made me, and many other
students here, realize just how lucky we are to wake up everyday with our
friends and family intact. Please keep
James and his family in your prayers and remember how lucky we are to be here.
I am very
grateful to have you all in my life and I hope that I will get to see many of
you soon if I can survive these two weeks that threaten to break my
sanity. Hope you all have fabulous weeks
and that none of you will be confined to the dusty barracks of a library
stuffed with books about Middle East Realignment. Oh yes. That is what I am accompanied by on
the 6th floor of Davis library.
And I guarantee there are some smarty smarts at this school just itching
to read that tome for leisure once they finish up with their exams. Me? I’m looking forward to pool and sleep!
Love ya. Miss ya. Mean it.
Kane
