Hailey Niederberger
Personal Narrative Essay
Word Count: 662
Exchanges
“Three fifteen.” My mother says. She's staring straight ahead, hunting for the next exit. Her phone is on, the light from the screen illuminates the dark car. I squirm in the back seat, but remember to type in the number. Three dollars and fifteen cents for a toll. It's the most expensive one I've ever seen, but then again, I've never been anywhere. I'm a hermit - a forced one. I don't even have a passport or have been off the east coast. So as we pass another toll, I can't help but wonder if the directions to Berlin are correct. What if they're not, what if my dad makes a left turn instead of a right? What then? I want to be on time, I have no idea what to expect at this …show more content…
All four of us are dressed up to go to this “Welcome Home” dinner. I want to be an exchange student, and this dinner will allow me to talk with previous exchange students, who seem to have been everywhere. I was invited by Mr. Adams, the co-coordinator for all exchanges for his Rotary chapter. To get to this point, I had many fights with my mom, provoked or not. She said things I didn't even know she was capable of, and after the sixth or seventh world war, I just let her explode, not even bothering to mouth back. I'm scared to know what ruines and traps remain in her mind …show more content…
They all wear their blue jean Rotary jackets. Many have patches and pins neatly placed along the front and arms. As I wait for Marie to get out of the car, I gently touch my upper arms, suddenly feeling this strong sense of yearning. I'm running through a mental checklist in my head, and my first order of business is to find Mr. Adams. Second, I want to find a mom whose kid has gone on exchange. I want my mom to talk to her, and hopefully it will ease her fears about me living in Europe. As of right now, I'm not too worried about my dad. I'm just hoping mom can come to terms with these newly hatched demons, as I've
Personal Narrative Essay
Word Count: 662
Exchanges
“Three fifteen.” My mother says. She's staring straight ahead, hunting for the next exit. Her phone is on, the light from the screen illuminates the dark car. I squirm in the back seat, but remember to type in the number. Three dollars and fifteen cents for a toll. It's the most expensive one I've ever seen, but then again, I've never been anywhere. I'm a hermit - a forced one. I don't even have a passport or have been off the east coast. So as we pass another toll, I can't help but wonder if the directions to Berlin are correct. What if they're not, what if my dad makes a left turn instead of a right? What then? I want to be on time, I have no idea what to expect at this …show more content…
All four of us are dressed up to go to this “Welcome Home” dinner. I want to be an exchange student, and this dinner will allow me to talk with previous exchange students, who seem to have been everywhere. I was invited by Mr. Adams, the co-coordinator for all exchanges for his Rotary chapter. To get to this point, I had many fights with my mom, provoked or not. She said things I didn't even know she was capable of, and after the sixth or seventh world war, I just let her explode, not even bothering to mouth back. I'm scared to know what ruines and traps remain in her mind …show more content…
They all wear their blue jean Rotary jackets. Many have patches and pins neatly placed along the front and arms. As I wait for Marie to get out of the car, I gently touch my upper arms, suddenly feeling this strong sense of yearning. I'm running through a mental checklist in my head, and my first order of business is to find Mr. Adams. Second, I want to find a mom whose kid has gone on exchange. I want my mom to talk to her, and hopefully it will ease her fears about me living in Europe. As of right now, I'm not too worried about my dad. I'm just hoping mom can come to terms with these newly hatched demons, as I've