Coming of Age: Rough Draft

          It’s actually pretty funny. How a simple thought can lead you to another and eventually become something great, amazing, and extraordinary. But that was the thing with me. Everything stays simple.  Practical. Believe me, I have absolutely no problem with it. It leads me to be focused, driven to work. Never to stop, never to relax.  And where did that get me? An emcee for weekly assemblies, roles in the student council, plays, and sports (well sport). But sadly, that was in the eighth grade, so that didn’t matter. I still had no idea what was in store for me. And yet I still don’t, which frustrates me to death.

            Freshman year I began to experience both the good and bad side of high school. I had a taste of what I wanted, but that wasn’t enough. It was a huge transition coming from a small private school that had about 500 people from kindergarten to eighth grade, and now there are along the lines of 500 people in just my grade. I thought I was gonna go big, but to go from seeing 30 faces for 9 years then just becoming a single fish in a huge ocean, terrified me. 

            Towards the middle of the freshman year, there was a day that I had to stay late after school. The only choice I had was to take the bus to my mother’s clinic. I’ve never taken the bus by myself all the way to downtown and I despised waiting. “Where is the bus? It should be here by now.” I thought as I brought out my dollar and twenty-five cents. It came to the point where I thought the bus wasn’t even coming, but in reality I’ve probably been waiting for only 5 minutes. I see the bus arrive and I’ve entered, placed my money in the slot, and looked for a seat. And what do I come to find? No darn seats. I basically was thrown around in that bus literally bumping into others around me, refusing to hold the pole that could be covered with disgusting particles. I hated it. I hated the bus. I have vowed to myself that I would get my license and laugh at the days where I had to take the bus. Yet taking the bus to downtown had been a regular thing I would do. I hated the feeling of being on the bus yet I loved being by myself, alone in downtown.

            Each time I would step off of that bus, I knew I was free to do whatever I wanted. Well at least until 5:00.  But being alone in this part of the island made me realize that I am so drawn to the “city life” and this is as close as it’s gonna get. I loved everything about it. The only problem left, was the fact that I would have to take the bus in order to get here. But that definitely didn’t stop me. I have no idea what my “coming of age” story is or if it just sounds like a huge joke. But the main point of what I’m trying to say is that even though I absolutely hated taking the bus, it eventually came to a stop. I’ve grown into a person that faces any challenges in front of me to reach the “destination” I desire. I realized that I am on my own with the problems I have to confront, and to think a couple bus rides and trips to downtown got me to think about my future.

            Taking risks sometimes has to be the only option you have in order to move on and experience brand new things. I think that everyone's life is always full of good and bad experiences. I’ve learned the key to success is to appreciate the good and find a way of turning a negative situation into a positive. Whether it’s having a huge, drastic change in one day or even learning how to take the bus to a certain place I’ve now come to love, I am gaining the knowledge and realization I need to grow as an individual.