Page 152 - Phoenix2002-03

Wednesday, May14,2003 - Page 4 COMMENTARY The Four-Year Cycle: Getting through daily droll Staci George discusses senior memories offour years well spent. people are added to your expanding world. magnetic field around it; this field is made ideal job and stay for a lot longer. Or per- One looks forward to the fieldtrips to the zoo, up of the sense that a new you is about to be haps you are going to back pack across Eu- the aquarium, the ballpark, the museum, and found, new people to meet, a new town to rope for a while, or move home with Mom other intriguing places to a seven year-old. get used to when you move to college, and and Dad and see what happens from there. Some schools have graduation ceremo- quite possible the first time you have ever The point I am trying to make is that by nies when students leave the elementary had to say good-bye to that friend you've the end of college, the typical student (or at school and begin middle school. With all the known since daycare. least one who plans their future just as much homework, extra-curricular activities, sports College, and yes another four-year cycle, as they plan today) has this sense of a four- It was not until recently that T realized practices, and piano lessons, the average begins. By the time you find the new you, year cycle. That if I don't like something that the typical 20-something American typi- middle school student is "working" a twelve have mel more than a thousand new people, now, give it a few years and the next stage caUy lives their life in a four-year cycle. or more hour day. And yes, the world has have gotten used to the town and may even in life may be a lot better. Let's face it, there What I mean by this is that every four;years, gotten slightly bigger. In addition to study- work at the local mall, and have learned that are no more stages, everything is one big they venture into some new realm. ing U.S. geography and history, other coun- you can keep that lifelong friendship going mixture. After a few years of being out of For instance, from the time you are born tries around the world are now in the cur- via birthday cards, e-mail, and a hour "catch college, you may decide to get married. Then until around three or four-years old, the riculum. A nightly assignment may include up on all the latest" session during each trip shortly after, you begin a family of your own. world consists of you, your parents, your sib- watching the news or reading a newspaper home during a break, your four years is over You may go from one dead end job to the lings if you have any, and other family mem- 10 learn about current events in Africa or and it is time to venture on. College gradua- next in your early years of marriage and just bers. It may not be until later in life that you Asia. tion has a stronger magnetic field than even as you are about to start your family. are ever as close to your parents or as de- Then there is the four years of high high school had. At first, when I noticed this four-year pendent on them for survival as back then. school, which for some is the best time of But wait, this sense of living your life in pattern, it was rather scary to admit its near Then around age four, you head off to their life (statistics show that those who do four-year increments may no longer be true. end. I plan 10 get a full-time journalism job, daycare to find some more people living in not go onto college or trade school value the Graduate school could take you a year, two start paying back college loans, and study- your world, and you may make some friends good 01' days) or the worst time of their lives years, or maybe almost three years. Law ing for the GREs. Grad school is somewhere who may just be your lifelong best friend or (those victim to other's making fun of them, school is certainly not a partofthe four-year in the near future, but I cannot say that it is simply an acquaintance. The next year, Kin- a lack of interest in school or life, or having plan; some may take less time, others more. my next four-year cycle. Now this realiza- dergarten, where alphabet puppets, snack no sense of belonging to a certain group). And then there is Medical School, which tion is not so scary, it's very exciting. time, and recess are valued parts'ef the day, Somewhere by the middle of junior year, if from what I've heard takes longer than four To all those seniors out there, enjoy your ones you yearn for later in life. AlImittedly, not before, one begins the college/university years. And those seeking the career route final days of this four-year cycle. Perhaps this is only a two-year cycle, but yet one of search to find the school tbey have been with their first full-time job, well the four- another four-year cycle is about to begin for extreme importance. dreaming of attending. Unlike preschool, year cycle may not be applicable. You may you, or perhaps this is the end. Life is not The next four years are elementary Kindergarten, and elementary school gradu- get the first job and completely hate it and over, it's just beginning. school. The school day gets longer, more ations, high school graduation sort of has a leave after six months, or you could find your Hmm? Where'd the year go? Laura Petersen wonders where her po-e;try Corrww freshmen year went. ~ J ') Catharsis You know that feeling you get when look- ing at old pictures or when the clock hits 12 by Jamie Fallows a.m. on New Year's Day? Lately, I have been getting that "where Some people lightly cut themselves, has the time went" feeling washed upon me others wash with steaming hot water. when I realize that this year is almost over. T hear my friends asking questions like, A few use drugs or Jiquor,and some even cry. "Where has this year gone?" or comment- But me? ing that move-in day seems like "just yes- I run my finger around the inside of a popcorn bag and terday." Senior year of high school, it was all suck the salt off, ' everyone talked about - college, college, holidays. feeling my taste buds practically burn away. college. When I arrived here in August of The end of January arrived and the time last year I was downright terrified. came to retum to all that had become so fa- Feelings of doubt in my abilities swept miliar to me - classes, tests, stress and man- War Poem over me when I was given the assignment aging time ~ sometimes unsuccessfully. for my first big paper. Through it all, I remained sane and bappy I wondered if I was college material and I despite the less than relaxing conditions. by Staci George worried about the grade I would receive. I came to realization that this is life. It ended up being an A paper. I understand that colIege is very different I found it amazing how quickly I became from the real life when people clean your comfortable with my classes and other stu- bathrooms and prepare your every meal, but WbMe voice will be heard dents. My fears soon fell away when I real- finding happiness under stressful conditions when everyone Is praetIdng seIf'