high school

Everything you’ve worked for, for the entire year all comes down to this choice. The miserable testing, the many essays, the interviews, the shadowing, the recommendations, was all for this, and now you have to choose. How can you pick? This is a place that you are giving four years of your life to, and it will determine so much of your future. Whether there’s tons of options or even just a couple, the choice is still so hard. Once you’ve made the decision, the weight is lifted. You settle. But then, the fear of the future hits you, and you begin to realize how fast time has gone and how soon you will be leaving a place you feel so comfortable, to go somewhere new and scary. 

san diego, california

The waves of the salty ocean crash against the sandy beach. A little girl in a pink sunhat runs toward the waves as they are sucked back into the ocean, and then sprints away from them giggling as the chase her back up the shore. The sun is beginning to set as the clouds turn to pinks and oranges. Light reflects against the ocean, shimmering. The smell of salty water and the sounds of people laughing and the water moving surround me. A wind picks up as the sun begins to disappear, and the beach becomes cold as the day moves into night.  

venice, italy

The smell of seawater fills the crisp, cold air blowing softly in the sky. I look around and see beautiful buildings colored red, yellow, blue, pink, and more. Each one has something special about it, like the detailing around the window, or the small flowerpots lining the windowsills. I watch the waves crash against the wooden docks as the boats slowly sway in the clear blue water. Its like a whole different world, the streets are made of water, and people travel by boats. The whole city is a giant maze made up of small, cobblestone hallways that are barely two people wide. As the city turns from a day buzzing with people, to a calm, quiet night, the city turns in and the sky fills with a sheet of sparkling stars, glowing against the black sky.