Happy 2007!

It took me a while to find this photo so I could upload it.... because I was looking for a folder called "New Year's" in the 2006 folder.

It always takes me a while to adjust. I really only got 2006 down last August or so. But woah! 2007! This is the year in which I graduate, the year in which I start college, which means... the rest of my life. Now, I suppose that's something of an overstatement, but I've always felt like life is pretty much divided into the pre-college years and the college & post-college years. Or perhaps more accurately, the live-at-home years, and the post-live-at-home years. Because growing up, of course I've lived at home. College is that huge godzilla-beast on the horizon (the one with the giant anvil that says work! career! all-nighters! caffeine!) that shows up on that day that always seems far far in the future when.... I move out.

I'll be able to come home during the holidays, and stay at home then; it's not to say that once I take my first step out the door into college-land that I can never come back again. But this is really the point, in American society at least, where kids start getting poked fun at if they're still living at home. In Italy, the kids stay at home till they get married in their 30s, and someone who moves out earlier than that is an unappreciative rebel who obviously doesn't love their family and their nonna's delicious home cooking enough. But here if you're still living at home after college, the response is more along the lines of, "Hello? Do you have a LIFE? Why aren't you out there pursuing your life calling and making a good name for career-oriented young women of the 21st century everywhere?"

I actually prefer the American system, though, for all that it's a little less sympathetic to late bloomers. It really pushes kids to get out there and do exciting things, and go far from home, whereas in Italy a lot of people end up living in the same town for their entire life. But it's kind of scary. I kind of feel like I wouldn't actually mind living close to home to go to college - for all of my life my mom's encouraged me to go as far away as I want, to not pick a college based on proximity to home. My mom's moving to Portland next year, though, which means that if I were to go to a college here in LA, close to home, I wouldn't be close to family. Then again I've applied to Reed in Portland, so I could go to school close to my most immediate family - however it wouldn't be close to home, because I've grown up here in Altadena/Pasadena my entire life.

But 2007! Despite the uncertainty and the slight nervousness regarding college, it's exciting! I'm looking forward to everything; I think it'll be an endlessly exciting year. I kicked off January 1st by driving down to Irvine to see my friend Deborah from SYA Italy. It was an hour-long drive which I made in 40 minutes due to exceptionally light traffic, and the first real road trip I've ever taken. It was a tad dull at first, not having anyone to talk to, but after a while I got caught up in how peaceful a morning it was; it really was gorgeous. The picture with this post isn't incredibly clear, but it's of the fog hanging over the freeway, completely filling the valley by Pomona, where I veered off the 210 onto the 57. And of course seeing Deborah was wonderful, and recalled excellent days in Italy; I had lunch with her family, who were all talkative and warm, and offered me as much delicious food as I could possibly eat. A good start to a good year!

So, Happy New Year! Be excellent to each other, dudes...

Labels: 365 days, college

posted by Holly @ 8:19 PM