Buzaid: A Shift in Perception

The day I left for college was the day I cried in the back seat of a taxi cab. One could assume that my tears were because I was going to miss my mommy and daddy, when in fact, it was because I got dropped off at the wrong airport in New York.  I started my travels to Loyola on the wrong foot. I was really excited and couldn’t wait to get away from my parents; I said my farewells to them at JFK airport. I stood in line for U.S. Airways for 30 minutes, by the time I made it to the front of the line the attendant politely informed me that I was at the wrong airport. Yup, a half hour before my flight was supposed to take off I was at the wrong airport. You see, there are two airports not far from each other in New York, one being JFK, the other being La Guardia.  My dad had dropped me off at the wrong airport and was long gone by the time I figured out where I was actually supposed to be. Frantic and crying I had to pull all my luggage across JFK by myself and wave down a taxi to take me to La Guardia airport 20 minutes away. I was flustered and furious. How could my parents make such a mistake?! When I called them to tell them about the mix-up they were clearly upset with themselves and overly apologetic. Luckily, my flight had been delayed for an hour and I was going to make it on time. Once I boarded on to the plane and sat down in my seat I took a deep breath and laughed. Even though I cried and was upset about the situation I was still able to make my flight. Accidents happen, and mistakes are always made. I found the mistake on my parent’s part to be somewhat of a test of my independence. I was able to handle it all without their help. Now, we are able to joke about the mix-up and will always be sure to double check our flight information.   

Morales: Life Changing Expierence

This is story. A story about a girl. A girl who didn't know who she was, but came to find out about herself through nature. This girl who found out about herself is me. I was sixteen and I thought I knew everything there was to know about life. Coming from New York City, I was all about partying and drinking. It was not a big deal to drink at sixteen because everyone did it. It was known in my inner circle of friends to "have fun", but something inside of me said "is this you?" I went on the search to find out about colleges that would teach me about myself. During my search I came across a school named Magdalene. For months I was in contact with this school, calling the admission office, speaking with students from the college. It all seemed great. Over the summer I packed my bags to go to a summer camp. Saying goodbye to my family felt great because I was on a journey to find out about myself.

After an 8 hour trip, I arrived. It was beautiful. Magdalene was out in the country, it was a small liberal arts school that read the great books. My first day there I read Aristotle, but me being so use to the noise of the city, had enough of the quiet. I wanted out. I started on a walk to the nearest town. Making my way a mile away from the college I can across a path. I was curious. Trudging my way through this path was difficult for me since I was in my coach sneakers and Donna Karen purse. A half mile up toward the path I came across a campsite. There was a lean to and four logs around a campfire. Since I was so tired from walking I sat on a log. Sitting there I began to think about everything... Life, and friends. The thought came through my head "who am I?" Sitting around a dead campsite with nothing but the birds chirping. I thought to myself "What in the hell am I doing here?" Then it came to me, I'm a young women, from New York City, who had a great fashion sense and didn't care about anything except being successful. This serene and quiet atmosphere wasn't for me. I wanted to be apart of the moving world and not be one of the stillness. Standing erect, I looked out and saw objective beauty. This was place was pure leisure, but not for me. I started to walk away, but looking back I knew I will forever remember this campsite because it helped me discover myself and what I want out of life. This place may be a place of leisure for others, but for me it's about keeping my eye on the prize. This is my story. The story about coming to know myself through nature.

Kenner: Seeing things In a New Perspective

It was eight years ago.

My family and I had relocated to Lake Charles, Louisiana because of hurricane Katrina. My grandmother was an employee of Harrah's Casino so we were able to get rooms free of no charge.  We were also able to eat at the buffet for free. I should have been happy that my family was all together but despite that, I felt miserable.

I remember during the whole time we were there, I kept whining that I wanted to go back home to New Orleans. I was only ten at the time so I did not have a good gasp of how dangerous hurricane Katrina was. My auntie would always tell me that we were going back soon but I realize soon that was just her way of trying to make me feel better. I knew I was never going back to my house; I was never getting all my valuable things back; and I was stuck in Lake Charles.

One day when the adults were watching the news, I saw other families from New Orleans who were still suffering. They had no place to stay or they were stuck in these hot overcrowded shelters for hurricane victims.  It did not take long for me to start feeling like I was better than them. Those people on the news were more miserable than me.

A Life Changing Experience

        

              There are many challenges that an individual encounters throughout life. You can be obligated to change your mentality, your perspective and lifestyle. I confronted this situation when my family and I moved to Italy.

            Even if my dad is an Italian citizen, I did not know how to communicate in Italian as well as in English. I believe not knowing the language spoken in the country that and individual is living is hard, it also can make a person feel as they are not good enough.  Learning two languages simultaneously and adjusting to the environment was hard. Nevertheless, I have an idea of what to expect in such situation, since now I have experienced it.

            Additionally, the same year I had a newborn sister and this has caused a lot of challenges in my school and personal life. My dad was working after-hours and since my mom did not know Italian nor English I was frequently in charge of my sister, house chores, school documents. I would take on these challenges in order to help my mom and take some weight off my dad's shoulders.

            As time passed I’ve learned to address problems and challenges independently. I understood the importance of conversing in multiple languages.

Rache Caire- My Eye Opener

I was raised in a Catholic family and never once questioned my faith. High school was where I grew into a rational human being. I found true friends and gained a better relationship with my family. During my senior year, young people were committing suicides left and right. My sister's friend was one of those young people. My sister's friend's death created a huge news flash for me.

My sister's friend, Taylor, was a very sweet, smart guy. He hacked into the grading system at St. Charles Catholic. He changed his friends' grades but was caught. The disciplinarian at the high school scared him. The man yelled at Taylor without a parent present. He also scared Taylor when he told him that the cops would come arrest him. Taylor felt like he had no way out other than suicide. Once he got home from school that day he shot himself in the head. The shot did not kill him immediately. He was in a coma for about a week until the parents realized he was not coming back.

Because Taylor died so suddenly, my sister was going through a very rough time. My mom and I went to church to pray for her and asked others to pray for her as well. My mom's friend asked what happened to him. When we told her, she answered back with an uncaring comment. She said basically damned his soul to hell like she had the power to do so. Catholics believe people who commit suicide have no hope in heaven. This moment made me upset and angry. This woman showed no interest in just letting go of Taylor's wrong and praying for my sister to be happy again.

Ever since that moment, my outlook on life changed. Religion was created by humans. Humans make things up out of fear or happiness. What if everything that the priest says in church is not real? What if Taylor's soul is in heaven and at peace even though he took his own life? I started to not go to church and listen to the clergy. I feel that if you are a good person, you will receive the reward of seeing loved ones again. However, if you do wrong and make no effort to change your wrongs, I feel that there is a place where your wrongs will be paid for.

Therefore, I believe the things people do should not define their true personalities. Sometimes people may fake who they are in hopes of being "cool" in someone else's eyes. I think God sees through the barriers that other people cannot break through and judges you off of your true character. Unfortunately, without Taylor's death I would have never realized that people are so much more than what they display.

Leyva: Change

            Many of my daily activities have changed my perception about relationships that we have and the kind of lives we live. One of the most memorable moments that caused my perception to change happened in my sophomore year of high school.

            I attended an all girls’ high school, where my fellow students hardly ever wore make-up. The girls always wore their pajamas underneath their uniform, you always heard someone screaming across the halls for a tampon, and everyone changed their clothes in the middle of the hallways.

One day I had just finished basketball practice, tired as always, and all I wanted to do was go home to get some rest. I went to my locker to change out of my basketball uniform. I began changing in the middle of the hallway when I noticed that my friend’s cousin had seen me in the middle of changing.

I didn’t give much thought to the incident until my friend told me that her cousin was embarrassed because he saw me changing. It was then that I realized it wasn’t something that everyone was used to. To everyone at school, including myself, it was completely normal to undress in front of each other, but to others it was definitely not normal. This incident made me realize that my norm was not the norm of everyone else. 

Change In Perception: Independence

8a.m. now. I have to get to Wilson by 9a.m. for service learning orientation. This is what my mom and dad warned about college: independence. But, they, especially my dad, never told me the reward of it. Twenty minutes have passed and I haven’t left yet. Mom and dad not here to pick me up and drop me off. Grandma, too. I’m afraid to do anything on my own, because everyone was there to get me to where I needed to go, I never had to worry. Clicking on and off my Google Maps every ten seconds was not shrinking the 2.2 mile direction I have to bicycle. I did anyway, because time was becoming an enemy. I’m thinking where do I have to go? What if there is a pile up? What do I do if there is massive street construction ahead? I want and need an excuse. I’m freaking out all the way to Wilson Charter, not even realizing that I just made it. Finally, orientation. Wilson’s administrator asks me interesting questions about my major, gives my a handout for fingerprinting/background check, reads me the school’s motto - Work Hard. Be Kind. Be Better., and finally hands me the school’s calendar (from August-December) along with highlighted Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I was awarded a service learning placement at Wilson. And going my way back here, to Loyola, was a total breeze - no worries of early morning pile-ups and messy construction zones. I think I see the reward of independence now. You get your job done, and you feel great about it because all the credit goes to you.

Jacob: Birth, a life changing experience

     The birth of my nephew Caleb changed my life and what kind of person I wanted to be. Before he was born I never really thought about how my actions could influence another person or someone who was looking up to me. I have always struggled in the past doing the right thing and making responsible decisions. Often times I never really cared about anything or being responsible and then he was born.

     

     When I saw my nephew for the first time it was an amazing experience. I realized how special the gift of life was and how much of an impact I would have on his life. After he was born I was told that I was going to be the godfather and this is when I realized what I needed to change about myself.  I was not only going to be an uncle but also a parent if anything happened to his parents. This made me realize that I needed to become a more responsible person by making the right choice and doing the right thing. By doing this I would be setting the right example for him and a good role model.

   

       Today Caleb is now 3 years old and I see him almost every weekend. I am watching him grow up and he is starting to talk and understand. He calls me Uncle J and loves cars. As I am watching him grow up I notice how he does and says some of the things he hears and sees. For example when I am around him I try and use manners and talk appropriately and one day he started using the words please and thank you. Because of what he said it only encourages me more and more to set the right example for him and to continue doing the right thing. Through this experience I have not only learned the importance of doing the right thing but also how to become a better person.  

Julius Zabaneh- Rememberable experience

 I was going to the airport and we got our tickets to fly to Houston. It started off when we reached the security stop and were checking the luggage. I told my brother,  "we have to rush so we don't miss the flight." The security guy said,  "wait I need to to search you."We said why we are getting  searched. He told us it was because you said rush. He started searching us  for  a while. I checked my watch and we only had fifteen minutes left before the plane departed. The decision was already known running to it was the only possible action. So we ran to the gate as fast as flash. After all the running and sweating it was there. I asked the advisory person if we missed the flight. She told us no because it was delayed for another forty-five minutes. Then we went to taco bell to eat something since there was so much time left. The advisory person announced that there was another delay for about an hour. We waited for a while then they told us it was canceled. The advisory person told us the next flight to Houston was not until tomorrow. Luckily the advisor directed us to a hotel to stay at for the night. By the next morning we reached the plane.

Life changing experience

        An experience that changed my life was when I was a young boy and I almost drowned in a pool. It was swimming day at my summer camp and I did not know how to swim but all of my friends did know how. Since I did not want to be the only one not swimming because I would have felt all alone and ashamed, I felt like I had swim. It did not help that my friends pressured me when I told them that I was not going to swim. They called me names and said I was being a chicken. I felt like I had no choice at the time.

     When it was time to swim, I just jumped in the pool. I immediately panicked and started drowning. It was the scariest moment of my life. I truly thought I was going to drown. Luckily, the lifeguard on duty quickly saved me and I was fine. I felt so stupid after it happened. I felt like I should have known better. I did not know how to swim so what did I think was going to happen? I was not going to miraculously float. I felt so stupid.

     This moment changed my life because it made me realize that I could not just jump into anything (no pun attended). I had to be smart and make wise decisions. I also realized that just because my friends did something, I should not do it if it’s not right for me. Furthermore, I realized that my friends were not really my friends. They pressured me into a dangerous situation. Good friends would never do that. Peer pressure is hard but almost drowning made me realize that it can have dangerous affects.

    Although, almost drowning was the scariest moment in my life, I am glad it happened.

 I probably would have learned the lessons I learned on that day later in life and in situation where maybe I was not as lucky. This situation has saved me from doing other dangerous things and for that I feel grateful.

Hixon -memorable moment

     A time that made me change my attitude or view at that moment was the day I had knee surgery senior year. My family is what you would consider the "basketball family" and my father would be considered the typical "basketball dad." My life consisted of basketball practices, games, workouts, and school, it's safe to say I had no social life for a good amount of time. In the beginning, I loved playing the game because it was fun, however, I began to no longer have fun playing because my dad pushed me so hard. To my dad it seemed as if everyday and every second was time for basketball, time for me to get better; he became a warden.
     I used to take advantage of playing basketball by not working hard to be as good as I possibly can because I was just good enough to make it. I no longer had a passion for the game but since I was better than average I continued to play. This all changed the summer going into my senior year, I decided to actually work hard in basketball and push myself, everyone noticed the change. One day at practice we were doing some conditioning and we had to run for every missed basket. The last person to shoot missed the basket which resulted in the team running up and down the court in ten seconds. I pushed myself to Finnish and in doing so I fell and dislocated my knee cap. I remember sarcastically thinking, "Isn't this just perfect timing? Right when I actually want to get become a better player." The next day I went to the doctor's office and found out I needed surgery.
     I remember the day of surgery, lying on the bed, telling myself that this is God's way of humbling me. My whole attitude all of a sudden changed. I was unable to play basketball for an entire year and it devastated me. I would always think back to the workouts and practices with my father and how I took advantage of them. I now appreciate the little things in general especially being able to walk with out crutches or simply run a mile. I finally understood what it meant to say "you never know what you have until it's gone."

Norton: My Most Rememberable Experience

           The day I met Breshard was late August. I had just started my junior year. I worked in a neighborhood burger joint called The Purple Cow. Although I wasn’t, on the schedule to work that night, me and one of my fellow employees, Christine, decided to eat dinner there that night because it was Bill’s (one of the managers) last day on the job. Bill just so happened to be training Breshard that night. So, Christine and I sat down at one of Bill’s tables, and he introduced us to Breshard, an African American newly high school graduate. After they went to get our drink orders, I distinctively remember saying “Christine, just you wait, Breshard is going to be my new best friend.” It’s weird how things work out because now, Breshard is new member to the Norton Family.

            After just a few shifts together, Breshard and I became really close friends. At first, we hung out outside of work with some other employees. We would all go bowling or go see a movie together. Then, Breshard and I started to hang out alone, and my friends would joke around saying we were in love and what not. That was never the case. Even before he lived with my family, Breshard thought of me as a little sister kind of figure. I started to learn about his emotional childhood and rough transition into adulthood, and I felt particularly blessed when Breshard opened up to me knowing I was one of the few people he shared this information with.

            It was a sad day when Breshard informed me that he had to quit Purple Cow. He was currently living with an older couple who he met doing Young Life at his high-school, but the couple was about to have a baby, and Breshard didn’t want to be an imposition to their new life. So when he told me he was going to quit and move in with his grandmother, I said I would ask my parents if he could live with us. His response was “Your parents are not going to let some random black guy live with you.” That night, I went home and asked them, and at first, they said no. However, I used their own morals against them, and they agreed to have dinner with Breshard and here him out. Now he lives with us, and my parents and sister love him like family, and he has had such a positive effect on all of our lives.

            This story really means a lot to me because 3 weeks before I met Breshard, one of my best friends had passed away in a car accident. It was kind of like God was giving me a sign, and I feel particularly blessed because Breshard has taught me how to appreciate life even when you have nothing to appreciate. Like the saying goes, one door closes and another one opens. I was living in this huge hole of sadness because I lost my best friend, and slowly but powerfully, Breshard helped me climb out. Meeting Breshard and dubbing him my best friend before I even knew him was a simple but huge moment in my life. It’s funny how you don’t know how one little moment can really change your life.