first time

with the ending of summer and the beginning of fall, I began my first classes at the local community college. in Missouri, if you participate in 50 hours of tutoring and have a certain gpa, you can get free tuition at community colleges- which I took advantage of.  I've lived in the same small town my entire life and had gone to the same small school all the way from preschool until my senior year. so, because of that, I've known all the teachers, all my classmates, and have felt safe in my small little bubble that is bourbon high school. the adjustment from high school to college has not been a huge change, but it has been different. especially with what I've been accustomed to. going in with practically no friends, and not knowing what to really expect, I went in with a fair amount of nerves. I wasn't necessarily nervous because of school, just the prospect of change. the change of setting, the change of company, the change of pace. I am considered a full time s

the beginning of February, I took a huge leap out of my comfort zone and booked a 19 hour flight to Australia to see my best friend and stay with her family for a few weeks. it was a last minute trip and booked about a month in advance and I missed my last games as cheerleading captain and a few weeks of my senior year (definitely do not regret missing out on either). it was, by far, a once in a lifetime experience and my graduation gift- best present ever, mom and dad.  I was not nervous about the flight or the fact that I would be on my own for the first time in my life, just nervous about whether or not it would go smoothly- which everyone assured me it would. it did not. basically, everything that you could imagine to go wrong, went wrong. I had incredibly long layovers both there and back. I first took a two hour flight to Dallas, arrived at 8 am and my Qantas flight was supposed to depart at 8 that night. when it was finally time to board, I checked to make sure I was at th

as a young female who has begun to experience many new situations, such as traveling the world, starting college, beginning to find inner confidence, and dealing with relationships, I decided to begin to write about my life. Copacabana, Australia I began to travel, by myself, very recently. growing up, my parents were always insistent in traveling across the states, so I have been to the majority of the fifty states with my parents. but, beginning in February, I skipped a couple of weeks of my senior year (missing my last few basketball games as cheer captain, as well) and hopped on a plane to Australia to visit my best friend who I met in 2015 while she was doing her foreign exchange student program in my high school. traveling to Australia had been my first time to leave my parents, first time to travel alone, and the first time to leave the country. after two amazing weeks flew by and was on my way back to the states, I was already planning my next international trip. I ju