Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Where I Am and The Journey That Went Along With It


       40. 87° N, 98.00° W; these are the coordinates from which anybody in the world who is looking at an atlas would identify as Aurora, NE. I’m going to assume that almost 100% of people living on planet Earth have never heard of the small, rural town consisting of about 4,500 happy people. That number doesn’t even compare to the amount of people living in the bigger Auroras in other states like Colorado or Illinois. To an outsider it is nothing more than a place to stop for a restroom break and a gas fill-up, but to someone who lives here, it’s an experience few words can describe. I truly believe that if I would have ended up anywhere else thus far, I would not be near the person that I have grown to be. 


            I haven’t always lived in Aurora. I was born in Austin, Texas and I love to brag about it despite only residing there for the first seven months of my life. After being homesick and missing their families, my parents decided to raise me and my future siblings in good ole Nebraska. Some might question why anyone would want to live in such a wide open and boring state when all the opportunities exist in bigger cities that are in flashier states. My parents knew all along what they wanted; that was to bring their kids up the way they were brought up, here in Nebraska.
            We moved to Kearney; a conservative, classy, college town where we would receive advantages in both the small town feel and the big town events. Within the next seven years three younger siblings were born. We would spend winters building snowmen and sledding with my and summers would include playing in the sandbox and backyard camping. God bless my parents for putting up with four small children at one time! I can remember every day on our way to school my dad, sister, and I would pass the University while dad would tell us stories of his college experiences and the ones that we should expect as well. My sister and I would always laugh and say that college is so far away for us. Little did we know that it was just around the corner!

            After ten fantastic childhood years my dad took a job in Grand Island. Sadly, we had to abandon our familiar lives and pick up to pursue a life 45 minutes away (three lifetimes in a child’s mind). This is the timeframe in my life that I generally like to skip over completely while I recap my past years. Even though we had bought a brand new house in a quiet neighborhood, it’s safe to say that none of us felt at home. I don’t know if it was because of the city being about twice the size or missing our good friends we left behind, but none of us were happy. I felt out of place and awkward at my new school. It took quite a while before I finally started to settle in and make some friends. I was finally getting adjusted.
            What happens next? Well, of course my parents would decide to relocate again! They hated the school we were attending and could see that we weren't coming anywhere near our academic and social potentials. Much to my disbelief, my parents decided that Aurora, about 20 miles down highway 34, would be the best place to reach those potentials. You can only imagine how livid I was with this second move. I had felt like I was finally getting used to my life and it was like BAM, we move again.
            I wish I would’ve gone in with more of an open mind. I was just about to start middle school, and may I say that people can be so mean during those years, so it only made the transition harder . . . or at least in my mind. There are only three people I specifically remember that first day, Emily Braun; with her blue plaid bermuda shorts, Natasha Hongsermeier; who let me sit by her during the first day of school kick-off, and Milayna Mckinney; my neighbor. I found myself meeting numerous students and teachers who truly wanted to help me feel comfortable. Yes, of course there were those immature boys who would pick on anyone for anything, but the girls were mostly pretty nice. I could tell almost instantly that I would enjoy spending the rest of my pre-college time in this school.

            By the time my freshman year had started, I had really come out of my shell. I realized that people are either going to love or hate me for who I am and there is not much I can control about it. I found myself making plenty of friends through sports and other activities and enjoying the new freedoms that high school displayed. I know that if I would have gone anywhere else, I wouldn’t be involved anywhere near the level that I am now. Through school sponsored activities I learned the importance of staying involved, keeping out of trouble, and remaining on good terms with everyone I met. The Aurora schools, without a doubt, stress those three main topics, hoping to receive success from each and every student. To them, we aren't a student body, we are all individual people who learn and achieve on different levels.
            Knowing now that I only have about eight months left in this school system, I contain a plethora of mixed emotions. I’m excited to start something new but it saddens me to think of what I’m leaving behind. If I could only explain to all of my peers what they have been blessed with as far as the people and learning environment we are surrounded by, I would in a heartbeat. I wish to return here once I’m getting ready to start my family in order to ensure an achieving atmosphere within my children’s’ lives. I thank God that he put me here, the happy little town of Aurora.

3 comments:

  1. This blog really has a nice feel to it and everything is laid out perfect. Very well organized and someone just scrolling through this page would be able to understand what the main purpose of this blog is about. Great job and keep it up.

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  2. Abby,

    Well, I have already READ this blog as it is what you submitted for your second elective essay!!!

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  3. I don't know if 100% of the world hasn't heard of Aurora, NE.. I mean past residents have to count for at least like what? .0000000006152% that counts as something doesn't it? :) Nice job though!

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