Where Am I?

Sitting on my little exercise trampoline in my bedroom, I am in my own little world with my headphones on.  This bedroom has only been recently transformed.  My family moved to this house when I was only one and a half years old.  For 16 years of my life, I lived in a room with quite the mismatched decor.  The room was a blend of several different themes.  The wallpaper had a border with several little teddy bears going on a picnic.  My bathroom was filled with teddy bears from my mom's childhood.  There were leftover decorations from my nursery in the house that I don't remember living in.  Those were themed (of course) Noah's Ark.  There was also a flower theme, and hand-me-downs from my sister's pink and orange room. Now, my room has a much more modern, Pinterest feel to it.  The colors are coral and teal with white and gray accents.  Everything is really square, and there are many chevron accents.  I have things around my room that show my personality such as a small version of the Eiffel tower, my owl-shaped Scentsy, and my silver poms from Portland.

My room is located in the second floor on my home.  I don't mean to seem like a homebody, but this is where I like to spend a majority of my time.  A home to me is not just the location where someone lives.  It's something much more.  It has special memories.  As the saying goes, "Home is where the heart is."  This is where my heart is.  I spend a lot of time with loved ones in this house.  I am able to recall wonderful times in this place.  Christmas morning, board games, and many spills on mom's rug.  Our home is definitely one that has been lived in.  I will always cherish the special memories that I have here.

I go to Aurora High School.  I have never gone to another school other than Aurora Public schools.  I've grown up in this school system since I began as a young kindergarten student.  In school, I am in the hallway.  The high school hallway was once a scary place when I was a little kid surrounded by big high schoolers.  Now, I am in one of two moods in the hallway: focused or chatty.  Sometimes, I just get in a mode where I look straight in front of me, ignoring other students and faculty in the process, and go as quickly as possible to the next class.  Other times, I just love to talk with my friends as we are going to classes or lunch.  In the school, I am also in the band room.  It is where I begin my day, and it is where I end my day on pep band nights.  This place is considered a home to me in the high school.  Our band is one big family, and it is always a safe place to hang out if there is nowhere else to go.  I spend the other part of my time learning in the classrooms.  When I am actually in the classroom, it may be really dreadful at the time.  I often think about how much I would rather be home.  That is kind of an ignorant thought though.  Of course I wouldn't rather be at home.  Even though it is sometimes a pain, being at school is one of the most important things in the world to me.  Education is incredibly important to me.  I have no idea where I would be today if I didn't have some form of education.

The community I live in is Hamilton County.  I live in Aurora, a town of almost 4,500 people.  People that live here like to think that it's better than everywhere else, but the truth is that it's pretty much just like every other small town.  It's not incredibly up-to-date, but it isn't completely under a rock away from all civilization either.  I have enjoyed growing up here.  I can't imagine what it would be like to grow up in a big city.  I am grateful that my parents chose to live in a small community.  I really don't think I would be the same person if I would have been raised anywhere else.

Nebraska is a state that not many people think about very often.  I, however, think about it nearly every day because it is the state that I call my home.  We have a lot of history here.  We didn't sign the Declaration of Independence here or anything historical like that.  We come from a long line of hard workers.  My ancestors were German and Irish, and I'm sure most people that I ask in the streets of Nebraska would say that they have at least some German blood in them.  I love being a Nebraskan.  I think that being a Nebraskan, you are filled with a lot of pride because of all of our accomplishments.  I mean... Kool-Aid?  You tell me a state that can top that.

I am an American.

I am a resident of this plant.  I live here along with seven billion other people.

I realize that where I am is very crucial to my life.  Location affects every aspect of my life.  I hope one day to be able to live in a foreign country.  I don't want to just say that I went on a vacation somewhere.  I want to be able to say that I experienced that place as a person living there.  That is the true way to understand a place: to live it.