College Bound 2012
The Last Journal Entry
by Elizabeth Horner 

It’s been a few years since I started imagining and writing about heading to college. It’s finally here!  Usually, the week before school started, I would be enjoying myself at The Great Darke County Fair in my hometown in Greenville , Ohio , relaxing, having fun before hitting the school books.  This year, I spent those days thinking about London while I sorted through my stuff factoring in what the weather would be where I was heading and what clothes and other items were necessary to pack. I was also reflecting on how my college experiences will indelibly, be affected by this foreign landscape.  

But from the moment I stepped on that airplane, my thoughts were of home.  The many things that I would miss --- although not perfect, I knew where I fit.  I knew that home will always be a place that will be there for me.  I want my family, my community to know, that I am unspeakably grateful for all the opportunities you have given me.  

Home will always have a place with me, in my heart --- that will be personified by those little voices in my head guiding my path thousands of miles away.  Don’t worry about me as I promise that I will be alright.  My skills as an author will surely be tested.  Let’s see how I can conjure up England for you.  I promise to describe every arch and buttress of Westminster Abbey and points of interest in each hat that catches my fancy. 

I wrote myself a note back in tenth grade, to be read in the days leading up to my high school graduation.  I gave instructions to myself that no matter what is in store for me in the future, that I would still take the time to appreciate … the way the stars dance in the sky, the way the air is cooler and sweeter as we head into autumn, the way words may seem like nothing to some people but they mean the world to me.  

I believe that there is a reason for everything. Although my leaving for a foreign land is scary and nerve-wrecking and I am going through fifty different emotions, there are reasons for them, too.   Please know that while my plane had landed at Heathrow Airport in London on August 27, I will remain me.  I will never forget my pledge of allegiance, I will still say “holy shrimp” when others may pick a choicer phrase.  I can still be a pain in the butt to some people and I have never pretended to be otherwise but that’s the product of my determination to get where I want to go.  

This is the last entry to my journal, College Bound 2012 as I turn the page to the next chapter, the next milestone in my life.