My Recommendation

For my first semester at GGC I had the amazing opportunity of having my English 1101 course with Professor Arrington. Having her as my first English professor was truly an experience I will never forget. I love English and want to major in it once I graduate. I hope to become an English teacher and taking this course was a fantastic start to my future in English.

Although this course would be useful for each and every student to take, it definitely isn’t for every student. In order to succeed and gain knowledge from this course, one must be hard working and willing to take criticism. Professor Arrington’s course is all about increasing the value of one's writing and it focuses on developing claims and working with evidence in a work.

 If a student is lazy and is not willing to better their writing, then this course is NOT for them. This course will not get you that 'easy A' unless you truly work for it. 

Adventure Update

After actually going on my hiking adventure at Stone Mountain Park on October the eighth, I started to think about whether I should give it another try because, well, it fell through; however, I think the fact that it actually fell through made it a 'better" adventure. I believe the result was far more emotionally challenging than it would have been if things had gone according to plan. 


    Surprisingly, I was more satisfied with the over all result than I think I would have been if I had completed the adventure as planned. I made it up the mountain successfully, despite some issues with dealing with the height and feeling sick due to the physical challenges. Once I had reached the top of the mountain and it was time to hike back down, my adventure had fallen apart. The only thing I wish I could change about the adventure was my source of documentation; once everything had fallen apart, the whole act of documenting the adventure was simply forgotten about because of the events that took place at that time. Needless to say, that was quite disappointing. 


 Overall, I think the adventure went fairly well and I definitely achieved all of the aspects in my definition of a "psychological adventure." I was surprised at how well it all went and how much I had actually achieved. I wish I could explain more thoroughly and give more detail in this post, but then there would be nothing to share when it is time for the presentation I can't wait to share it all with you soon! 

   

The Unthinkable for the Introverted

In order to embark on an adventure, the experience must be new, provide some risk, and challenge one to overcome a fear, or to overcome an obstacle (whether it is mental or physical).

The adventure that I am pursuing will be taking place in Stone Mountain Park. I will be hiking the trail going up the mountain (which is 825 feet tall). For me, this will most likely be a “psychological” adventure. Is there such a thing? I guess I’ll find out soon enough. I am going on this adventure on Saturday, October 8^th. And because I could never do something like this on my own, my boyfriend Chandler will be tagging along.

This will be a completely new experience for me because I’ve never been hiking before. I imagine that hiking in general can be pretty risky; the great outdoors are always unpredictable. And probably one of the most challenging parts of this adventure will be the height. I rarely step foot on anything that is more than five to ten feet from the ground or else I’ll go ballistic or get sick. And unfortunately I’m not as physically fit as I should be, thus providing a physical obstacle for my body.

In order to plan and prepare for my adventure, I will need to:

• Find out how much admission into the park will cost.
•   Look at the weather for October 8^th to figure out whether we’d need to reschedule or bring specific items (like an umbrella).
• Wear comfortable, light weight clothing with a good pair of tennis shoes.
• Wear sunglasses and a hat to prevent my Ophthalmic Migraine.
• Bring plenty of water and snacks.

To document my adventure, I will be taking pictures as well as recording a short video at the beginning and end of the hike. Despite being nervous about this new adventure, I am sincerely excited and cannot wait to share my experience with all of you! 

My Adventure

Usually when I’m home alone, sitting on the sofa with absolutely nothing to do, I often wish I could get up and have fun…go on an adventure, or something. But what is an “adventure” anyway? It is defined as “participation in exciting undertakings or enterprises” in Webster’s dictionary; however, I think we all know that the word is truly subjective. While some may see it as a bizarre or unusual experience, others may see it as a dangerous, risk taking escapade, or simply a matter of having fun. Everybody’s idea of an adventure is quite different. What I may consider to be an adventure, another may find boring or ordinary (which is probably the case given that I’m a complete homebody.)

            My idea of an adventure is this: experiencing something you have never experienced before. During the summer of 2007, my parents and I had gone on our annual vacation to Panama City Beach, Florida. Although we had gone to the same city every summer since I was born, something about this year was different; I was allowed to bring my boyfriend, Chandler. Every other year I had taken my cousin Jessica or my best friend at the time.

            Although it may sound frivolous, I was nervous about taking a boy with me on vacation for the first time. At the time, I saw that alone as an adventure. But a couple days before it was time to leave Florida, my dad had done some serious thinking and decided it was time for me to “branch out” and try something new; to have an adventure. Without hesitation (and without asking), he paid for us to go para-sailing. I remember Chandler and I were sitting on the beach when he came to us and told us we were going to para-sail. I was terrified.

            Needless to say, I didn’t want to go para-sailing. I had an unfathomable fear of heights and to be honest, I was paranoid that when the skipper would dip us into the water, a shark would have my feet for lunch. But whether I wanted to or not, I was going para-sailing. When it came time to get strapped up and taken away, I was forced to just deal with it. And if I hadn’t, I would have missed out on one of my very first adventures. I ended up having so much fun that I felt silly for ever being scared.

            So, that was it. My adventure. It's sort of sad but I haven't really had another since that day. I suppose I still get scared when I think of trying something new. If you’re like me and think of an adventure as a new experience, then my adventure was most likely “acceptable” to you. But if you’re not like me and have a different idea – then tell me what you think. What does “adventure” mean to you?