Why
did I Resume My Education at Warren Wilson?
The
fact that I have difficulty initially trying to answer this question draws me
to a state of skepticism. I am not distracted into thinking of where else I
could be, but while flipping through the pages of my mind, I stop to consider if
this was the right decision to return back to school?
I
write this after completing my first day of classes for Fall Semester
2014. To elaborate further, it is my
first day in a classroom setting since my study abroad semester in Fall 2008 at
the U. Melbourne in Australia, though technically there it was Spring. I had then made the decision, after
going on a hike in Tasmania during finals week in November 2008, to seek an
alternative lifestyle to traditional education, and pursue a path where I would
work the land and travel and learn from the world as my classroom without
walls.
I
had not the intention to return, but I could not predict any of the events that
followed after I broke away from the well paved trail. Flash forward to
orientation, where I quickly learned that I was not alone in my prolonged
absence from school. Each of us,
on our multifarious paths, discovered something special in WWC. Something that attracted us towards it
like a faint and intriguing light, an interesting scent and an unusually
rhythmic sound away from the main event.
We are here, to begin or restart a stage in our lives.
Even
a short semester away from school, an internship or work-study over the summer,
has the strong ability to lend some perspective on the world at large, and
reflect on this decision to choose to return to Warren Wilson College. Which, after a week of being here, I
have only scratched the surface of understanding this campus functioning as a
socio-economic ecosystem with intense microclimates. I have enjoyed all walks to and fro classes and down to the
river, forest and the pasture lands, nestled in Blue Ridge Mountains of Swannanoa,
Western North Carolina.
After
some Day 1 panicking relating to words and concepts like syllabus, lecture, lab,
buying or renting books, assignments due, quizzes, etc. I paused, breathed, and
recognized more manifestly that this is what I had signed up for. I expected such moments to arise, regained
composure and brought my attention back to the professor. After the exploding balloons and
conductive pickle in General Chemistry, and seeing the setting sun filter light
through the Tulip Poplar across from the bridge to create an artsy and
reflective aesthetic, I began to reflect more clearly on why I arrived here.
So
why did I come back… here? I
returned for the interdisciplinary integration of the Triad. For the challenge of the
nearly-forgotten academia, for the stimulation of the culture and the forced
discipline of the classes. For the
extraordinary biodiversity of this region and the breathtaking views of the Blue
Ridge Mountains. To return to a
place in EST (Eastern Standard Time) where I could more actively engage with
the culture and not just the subculture.
To keep my mind and my body physically committed to goals that can only
be achieved with persistence. To become
more aptly equipped to contribute to
a more consciously socio-ecologically designed future.
After
6 years of working, traveling and developing roots and relationships in places I
hope to return to one day, I’m back in the classroom, hoping to be empowered
with knowledge that will help me engage with work on campus, and other service
and learning projects. I hope to
be an asset, I hope to be helpful, I hope to find meaning in my walk between
classes and to assist others on their path and to not be overly passive in
asking help from all the brilliant minds and able hands around.
We’ve
all got a story already told. Some
of us have experienced similar events from different perspectives and others
different experiences from similar perspectives. Now we’ve got a new story beginning together and an ever-changing
world that will be awaiting us when we are ready to more actively engage with
it.
Good
luck to the entire incoming Freshman, transfers, returning students and Seniors
in their final years. Try to enjoy
this part of the process. Cherish your
place as a new or returning student, as you only live this part of your life’s
education once.
