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Citizen
of the World
Dream Come True
By Elizabeth Horner
The first three months of my freshman year have been challenging. There
are the expected adjustments that come with having lived my entire life
in Greenville , Ohio USA, a small farm town of approximately 13,000
people, and then overnight, moving here, living in the capital city of
England with a population in the millions. More than that, college is
like its own country, possessing its unique culture and traditions. My
study habits, my patterns for eating, cleaning my room, and exercising
have all changed to suit the current climate. Now --- it may sound
crazy, but I have found that I enjoy this sleep-deprived period in my
life. The labor it takes to adjust and thrive --- just suits me fine.
It’s also caused me to reflect on so many things.
For years, I have penned articles and works of fiction that I hoped
would help me build a career in creative writing. I’m lucky to have
been given a voice in newspapers that can reach a global audience and
speak at various public forums from a young age of nine. But then
I hear about a young teen, Malala Yousafzai, shot simply because she
thinks girls should have an opportunity to have a good education.
The road to her dreams, and so many others in the same
predicament, is more obstacle-filled than I can imagine. I just
hope and pray for her speedy recovery. She has come to England to
receive further treatment for her gun-shot wounds.
Incidents like what happened to Malala, make me grateful to come from a
nation where our rights were secured so long ago. November 11th was
Veteran’s Day, and while our soldiers never fought specifically for
women’s rights, they have worked to gain the freedom of speech, press,
and religion for all of us living in the United States. They sacrificed
their lives to end the conflict of the World Wars, and have attempted
to put an end to tyranny and terrorism in many places across the globe.
As a kid, I used to dream about having super powers like the Sailor
Scouts or Power Rangers--- not knowing that there were heroes out
there, who were even more awesome for being made out of flesh and bone.
They go into each fight not sure that they are going to make it, but
believing in their cause so much that it spurs them forward. The
more I learn in school about the injustices of the past, the more it
opens my eyes to exactly how good we have it. Many people may rail
about our current economic or political situation, but the truth is
that our good life was secured a long time ago and paid in blood by
those people who gave everything to create our present, their future.
Buried beneath the words of this article are all the people who toiled
in order that I might write about it--- that I might write about
anything I wanted to without fear of persecution.
Standing on the shores of another country, I feel that I am honoring
them as well as I could do at home, because here I have a sense of all
that has been done to bring me to this point. I think the best way to
honor and thank our Veterans--- and all the soldiers we have in our
lives --- is by living out our most sought-off dreams, to exercise all
those rights that they fought so valiantly for.
To see photos and Elizabeth’s article about beginning her sojourn in
London, click here
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