Unschooling Myself

        I have officially left college. I am now back where I started, back where I spent the first 17 years of my life, my little hometown of Coxsackie, NY. This is where I went to public school, where I played recreational soccer, where I spent time with friends, and where I learned to grow up. I'm glad to be back.
        However, I do miss dear Buffalo. Although most of my writings have been critical of college, I am not in total disgust with the idea. I actually enjoyed my experience very much for the last semester. A recent comment on my last post stated that my analysis of college was short-sighted and erroneous at best. I understand that I have been taking a biased viewpoint (don't we all?), but now is the time to point out that my opinion hasn't been a complaint. Perhaps it has come off as myself feeling annoyed and angry at "the system," but, in fact, I have discovered the true way to be happy, and that is to appreciate every moment for what it is, which is why I came to University at Buffalo with the attitude that I would make the most of the time I was there, and I did. I took the most interesting classes that I could find in the course catalog. Most turned out to be unimpressive, but luckily I lightened my course load, so I would have more time for the more charming parts of college, such as school clubs and meeting new people. With those two things in mind, I learned a lot and had fun at the same time.
        But, of course, the time had to come to an end. I was able to experience 4 years of undergrad in only one semester. How? By setting that as my goal. With knowledge of not returning, I took everything out of it I could. I met with students of all ages, audited classes I wasn't even signed up for, and let university show me what it's made of. I can say that I am now ready to move on. It's time to unschool.
        So, it's not that I think I'm better than anyone else because I'm "over" college. It's just that I have realized that I can make my life into whatever I desire, rather than comply with expectations. My heart aches for those that feel they are stuck, for those left at college, not knowing why, but complaining about tests and the lack of fulfillment in their lives in general. This is where my frustration comes from. These people are those that motivate me to write papers about why college is not a good investment.
        I may go back to college, eventually. But like my father pointed out to me in the car ride home, if I'm attending college, it should be my priority, but right now it is not. Therefore, I will do what I've been dreaming about since my first training bra - travel. So many people say, how will you get the money? Ahh, money, money, money. It's what makes the world go 'round, right? The funny thing is that I don't think too much about it. I realize that if I really want to do something, money is not an issue. First of all, it certainly doesn't take that much money to sustain oneself. I could probably live without money. I could couchsurf and practice freeganism. Most people have never heard of these things because they haven't made it a priority to figure out. Yet, I'll probably still try to bring in some cash. When I get low, I can just pick up a job in a city I want to befriend for a while, save up, and move on.
        You might be thinking that this isn't a pleasing lifestyle. It's not stable, not secure. But that's the thing; I'm not looking for stability or security. I've had that my whole life. I need chaos and excitement. I need something to motivate me, to instill passion in me. I just need to figure the world out, and a college classroom is not the place to do that.
        As of right now, I am sitting in the kitchen of my high school friend's house as she's at work. Her parents don't mind that I've been sleeping on the couch for the past few nights They even offered me a blow-up mattress. They've been feeding me, and in return, I do some dishes and provide good conversation. When I treat them like family, I'm like family. It's a simple as that. Good character is enough to get me places. For example, next stop is Woodstock with my old English teacher (yup, the one from the speech). After that, I head to New Paltz, where a friend from Buffalo resides on holidays. I continue south to NYC, where I will stay with another friend. Now, this is where it gets even more exciting. In mid-January, I'll be taking a plane down to the family I will be staying with for an undetermined amount of time, the Halldorsons. And the Halldorsons aren't just any normal family. They have renovated a school bus RV-style, and named it the Unschool Bus. Here, check it out:

        Kelly Halldorson was the first person to interview me after my speech. We met up in a coffee shop in Albany and had great conversation for about two hours. We kept in contact through Facebook, and the few days before I shipped off to Buffalo, I spent in Boston at an unschooling conference with the whole family. I'm very excited to see them again and start acting like part of the family. Creating family everywhere, I've learned, is one of the beauties of life.

        So, for night now, I'm in stage 1 of unschooling myself. I've been relaxing - sitting around reading, playing ukulele, making a dress out of construction paper, duct tape, and tin foil...basically whatever I want. I'm really not focused on trying to make money, or figure out what I'm going to do with the rest of my life. I'm taking it one day at a time, and I'm lucky enough to have a support system that will help me with this crucial stage in my life.

        I know a lot of people expect me to be "something great," but there's no way that will happen along side of me being happy and driven without realizing myself what that something is. I often feel that I have been trying to free myself, but now there is even more pressure. Honestly, I think that no matter what I "become," I will be great. I think that my path is maturing me and giving me wisdom every step I take, and even if I died tomorrow, I will feel complete. But, here I am, still living, so there must be a niche for me to take, one that will continue to create balance and harmony in the universe.