On June 30th, I arrived in Colorado Springs. Having driven 950 miles, I truly hoped that everything would be worth it. What I found when I arrived was a life that once was, but was no more. Everything had changed; while some things could still stand on their own, many of the bonds that I once knew were broken and so too were many of the people I loved. For a while, I wondered if I could even really enjoy myself in the time that I was to spend here. That amount of time, as I now know, will be five weeks when all is said and done. Having suffered through a lull where nobody contacted me to spend time together and my car broke down (and cost $400 to repair,) I found myself at a standstill. Suddenly, everything changed.

Some of the people I once knew became what they used to be once again. These people were not my closest friends, but friends nonetheless. I began to enjoy my time out here and thus did not regret my choice to come here. For over two weeks now, I've had a splendid time. I've seen movies at 3:00 a.m., driven around foolishly, had a fight night and played some darn video games all day. In the course of being here, I've realized a number of things. The nature of the people I once knew is not the same--it is some sort of a fragmented, augmented state. The question that I needed to answer in coming here was the following: where is home and which life is truly mine? I feel that this question has been answered with certainty.

My home is Ripon, Wisconsin. The life that I live in college is the one that is truly right for me. The people there are much more attuned to my way of life, the environment is one of intellectualism and the place itself is lovely as well. Following my mother's passing in April, my father is now considering a move back here to Colorado, but in many ways, I'd prefer he not. I don't think I want to come home to this place during my breaks at school. I think what I'd like most is to stay in Wisconsin. Not only has the environment around me changed in college, but I have changed as well. People remark to me that I'm a very different person than what I used to be. They somehow think I've lightened up, become more easy going. I find that odd, but I suppose it's what they see. All I know is that I now see things in a very different manner than I once did.

Next Monday, I return to Galesburg for two weeks to prepare my stuff for school and to spend some time with my father. On August 18th, I'll drive back to Ripon, to the place which I call home. I'll see many of the people who are dearest to me, and many more when the rest of the school arrives six days later. I love what I do at college and I think I'll love it even more this year. May my different life bring the utmost happiness once again.