Culture Shock

Again, I provide a disclosure for my continued babble. The essential bits as described in the assignment regarding educational uses for blogs includes:
-As a discussion forum in literature classes where all students are reading the same text.
-To communicate with students about assignments and to provide specific links to research tools.

The continued tale...
Well, as it turns out, not feeling socially accepted was nothing compared to being socially overwhelmed. Holy moly! We moved at the end of my sixth grade year. This time our travels took us south, to California. Anaheim, California. When we first arrived, I couldn't believe that there would actually be ANYTHING that I would EVER like about that place.

At first, I didn't even want to leave the house where we were staying with my stepdad's mom. I was pretty scared of everything. I got very depressed and began to stage emotional protests with my mom. But, looking back now, I realize that I was really quite lucky to have all of the people in my stepdad's family who were doing the things that they thought might help me to adjust. They took me to Universal Studios, Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, and the beach (where I learned my first lesson about the value of sunscreen.)

My seventh and eighth grade years were speckled with inspiration and success, largely because I had some really great teachers. My teachers encouraged my creativity and gave me reason to believe that I might be able to overcome the turbulence of my life as a "gypsy" child. I started playing tennis and volleyball and taking Spanish classes. I had wonderful friends.

In July of 1992, I cried nearly all the way back to Oregon. I was sullen as we made our way north in the U-haul. I contemplated escape at one of the rest stops in the Redwood forest (thank goodness for a little bit a cowardice!) I swore that I would never forgive my mom for moving me away from my friends in California.

Finally, we landed in Gold Beach, Oregon. There are a million details from high school that describe how I was inspired, challenged, and given direction towards a college career... About how lucky I was to go to high school for four years in the same place... about how this small town nurtured my academic needs...

But, I will finish this post for now and continue the saga at a later date.