Day 85 - A first

It was three days before Thanksgiving, during my senior year of high school.

My mom and I were driving down to Baton Rouge (the first time we had driven down since we moved), and were staying in Tuscaloosa, Alabama for the second night. This was the time that we thought it would be nicer to take three days to do the drive (we soon learned that two was better), but it did give us time to go and visit colleges.

It seemed as if that was what my life had been comprised of for the previous two seasons: college touring. We had toured out East (the Ivies, private liberal arts schools, all girls schools, the big, the small, the minuscule), but nothing had particularly struck me. Except Cornell - that was pretty. Hilly, and remote, but pretty.

I had already toured Michigan State and Michigan - I had basically grown up on each campus, and knew that my acceptances to these places was guaranteed (not to sound conceited - it was just kind of a given based not only on grade and extracurriculars, but also on family legacy ...). I could tolerate Ann Arbor, but it just didn't really seem like home.

So anyways, my mom and I were in Tuscaloosa visiting the University of Alabama. The day prior, we had driven onto campus via a very shady way: it took us past downtrodden houses and abandoned warehouses. But this morning, we had found a nicer way, a prettier way.

As we met with the people, I was drawn to their Southern style: the lackadaisical gaits everyone walked with, the slow drawl that was trying to be covered by proper speech, the green expanses of lawn, and, most notably, the absolutely gorgeous Chemistry building, newly constructed with labs waiting for me.

I had been hesitant, but slowly gave away a part of my heart to 'Bama. And they still hold onto it. I'm currently wearing an Alabama Crimson Tide sweatshirt, and keep track of the activities on campus through Facebook and their email list.

But what makes this a first? After all, I had already visited dozens of colleges. What made 'Bama special?

Well, the University of Alabama was the first school I fell in love with. It's the first school I gave a part of my heart to. And it's the first place I go to in my mind when things are overwhelming at Michigan.

rtr. forever and always.