406 miles is a long way to travel, especially when the trip is unwanted. When my mother told me she had signed me up for Blue Ridge Leaders’ School in Asheville, North Carolina, I was the least bit thrilled. I protested and whined, cried and screamed, begged and pleaded for my parents to allow me to stay home and skip the week long trip. Much to my dismay, my parents slid my bag into the luggage compartment of the charter bus and shoved me into the aisleway of the capacious bus. Afterward, both of my parents stood on the sidewalk of the Tuckahoe Family YMCA and waved goodbye as I departed on a journey that would change how I saw myself and the world forever. As the only person on the entire bus sitting by herself, I immediately felt like
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Furthermore, finding someone to eat lunch with when we stopped around one o’clock that day seemed like an impossible challenge. The isolated feeling continued as we arrived on the mountain, everyone from my club was beaming and excited as could be, except me, and that feeling would not change for quite some time. When I received my dorm assignment and recognized that two Goochland leaders were in my dorm of six people, I was overjoyed: at least I would be familiar with someone. In my room, there were two girls from the Sisky YMCA in North Carolina, Makayla and Lola; one girl from the Tampa YMCA in Florida, Sophie; and two other girls from Goochland, Savannah and Gunnhildur. So far, the biggest issue (thankfully) in my room was the lack of a power strip, because six girls and two outlets does not work well. As the day grew older, I thought to myself, “Maybe this week won’t be as bad as I had imagined.” First up on my Blue Ridge Leaders’ School experience: Aquatics. Which, if you ask me, is not the best way to start your day. Especially after eating a breakfast consisting of food incapable of digestion. Following my initial …show more content…
It was the Copa America semifinal, the farthest the USA had been since the mid-1990s and there was no way I would miss this game. And I did not. However, the events leading up to the game were noteworthy. First, Emma Holcombe and I had spent the entirety of the past two days asking our Advisors, Senior Leaders, and Staff if there was any way we could watch the game, but answers were vague and not assuring. As the school was very strict on exposure to technology and televisions on the mountain were a rarity, Emma and I were doubtful that we would see the game. However, we talked to Steve, the school’s director, and he said he had been asked to view the game by many other leaders, and he was going to make it happen. We were ecstatic! I hiked down the mountain to my clinic with a big smile on my face, which is something that had not happened all week. When it was time to trek back up the mountain to watch the game, it started to pour rain. With my friends Alex, Sam, and Sophie, we sprinted up the mountain, which took approximately twelve minutes. Soaking wet, I found Emma sitting on the floor in Eureka Hall lobby, and we enjoyed watching the first half of the game, even though the scoreline showed a Messi lead the Argentines side crushing the United States. All in all, Tuesday proved to be the best day
Furthermore, finding someone to eat lunch with when we stopped around one o’clock that day seemed like an impossible challenge. The isolated feeling continued as we arrived on the mountain, everyone from my club was beaming and excited as could be, except me, and that feeling would not change for quite some time. When I received my dorm assignment and recognized that two Goochland leaders were in my dorm of six people, I was overjoyed: at least I would be familiar with someone. In my room, there were two girls from the Sisky YMCA in North Carolina, Makayla and Lola; one girl from the Tampa YMCA in Florida, Sophie; and two other girls from Goochland, Savannah and Gunnhildur. So far, the biggest issue (thankfully) in my room was the lack of a power strip, because six girls and two outlets does not work well. As the day grew older, I thought to myself, “Maybe this week won’t be as bad as I had imagined.” First up on my Blue Ridge Leaders’ School experience: Aquatics. Which, if you ask me, is not the best way to start your day. Especially after eating a breakfast consisting of food incapable of digestion. Following my initial …show more content…
It was the Copa America semifinal, the farthest the USA had been since the mid-1990s and there was no way I would miss this game. And I did not. However, the events leading up to the game were noteworthy. First, Emma Holcombe and I had spent the entirety of the past two days asking our Advisors, Senior Leaders, and Staff if there was any way we could watch the game, but answers were vague and not assuring. As the school was very strict on exposure to technology and televisions on the mountain were a rarity, Emma and I were doubtful that we would see the game. However, we talked to Steve, the school’s director, and he said he had been asked to view the game by many other leaders, and he was going to make it happen. We were ecstatic! I hiked down the mountain to my clinic with a big smile on my face, which is something that had not happened all week. When it was time to trek back up the mountain to watch the game, it started to pour rain. With my friends Alex, Sam, and Sophie, we sprinted up the mountain, which took approximately twelve minutes. Soaking wet, I found Emma sitting on the floor in Eureka Hall lobby, and we enjoyed watching the first half of the game, even though the scoreline showed a Messi lead the Argentines side crushing the United States. All in all, Tuesday proved to be the best day