Looking at the University Experience

Here is episode 18 of Looking Back. This story seems to wander all over the place but there is a method to my madness. I am from Indiana where we have had, in the recent past, the motto “Wander Indiana” emblazoned on the license plates.

They say that eventually you find your tribe and that “birds of a feather flock together”. College proved that to be untrue. I didn’t find my clique but I found diversion. There were a couple of girls that were friendly but only in a pleasant superficial way. We’d bump into each other during lectures. I could eat with them without feeling out of place. One recommended a good tattoo parlor. The other introduced me to sushi and kimchee. On the academic side, I took archery as the fulfillment of the physical education courses. I was good enough to make the archery team. The attraction of being on the team was that we got to travel to other schools to compete. I managed to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing with a minor in poetry. My parents weren’t too thrilled that I spent 4 years earning a college degree that didn’t make me more employable. The German professor was good for a few laughs and she introduced me to people who made connections to others that held the promise of a job overseas. All in all I graduated with mad archery skills, proficiency in German and French, and an excellent command of the English language, the ability to pick a lock, 2 tattoos, and a job in the syphilis capital of the US. You thought I’d finally realize my dream of living and working in Europe. Nope, it didn’t happen.