new school = new beginnings

I carefully tied my new Nike shoes. I grabbed my new backpack and slid it across my shoulders. The bag felt so light and stiff, for there was nothing in it but a few notebooks and some pencils. The bag smelled fresh and new and was gleaming with a color of pink. As I walked across the kitchen floor towards the door my shoes squeaked. I took a breath and opened the door. The morning light hit my face as I walked up the driveway. I could hear the birds chirping, it was as if they were saying “good morning!” I got to the top of the driveway and began my wait. It was the first day of school and I was very nervous. Not only was it my first day at school, it was my first day at a new school. I was starting my seventh grade year. That summer my family and I moved to Crawfordsville from Indianapolis. I had anticipated this day all summer and now it was finally here. The school bus pulled to a stop and it caused me stop daydreaming about my old school and friends; they were long gone. As I boarded the bus I felt like Forest Gump on his first day of school. It seemed that I was one of the last to get picked up and the selection of seats was slim. I finally found a place and parked. I sat down and rested my head on the back of the seat. The vinyl of the seat started to stick to the back of my legs and the bus smelled musty and was not appealing. As the bus started to roll down the road I said a silent prayer for strength. I knew that I would need it for what lain before me. The girl beside me turned and introduced herself. “Hi, my name is Ashley. What’s your name?” I couldn’t believe it. One minute on the bus and I already made a friend. Going to a new school was going to be easier than I thought. As I turned to introduce myself, I said another silent prayer, one of thanks.

comparing the red chevy

After reading the essay by Juli Bovard entitled “The Red Chevy,” I evaluated what trauma can do to a person. According to my “College Writer’s” book, “Psychological research has shown that people remember trauma more vividly and with more detail than other events.” In order to see if this was correct I thought about two experiences of my own, one that was traumatic and one that was enjoyable. Even though the traumatic event that I thought was no where near as traumatic as Bovard’s, but it was upsetting to me nonetheless. The traumatic event that came to mind was when I got hit with an arrow in the forehead. I can remember every detail of the event even though it happened almost fifteen years ago. I ended up in the hospital that evening and three stitches in my forehead. The other memory, the happy one, was when I got my first car when I was sixteen. I can remember a lot that happened that day too. The car was a surprise and was a special event that I shared with my family and best friend. Even though these two experiences were totally different, they were both growing elements for me. However, I don’t think that these two experiences really support that psychology research. I think everyone has their own memories and they can decide what they remember or not. I do realize that there are some occurrences that happen that you can never forget, but I have read where sometimes in a traumatic event you block things out to forget them. Like I said, this are my thoughts and opinions, and someone else may have something entirely different to say about this subject. I think it all in how the person is and how well they can carry on with their lives.