Adedayo A. Adebogun >Ms. Tara Causey

Ms. Tara Causey

English 1101

22 September 2014

A Trip That Took Me Through Life

November 4^th, 2011 was the day that transformed my personality into what it is today. It was a Friday, and on that day, I had a field trip to the “Bodies” Exhibit in Atlanta, Georgia for school. I was a sophomore at Central Gwinnett High School at the time. The field trip was for my 5^th period class, AP Biology, led by Mrs. Boone and included her 2^nd period AP Biology class as well. When I woke up the morning of the field trip, I was ecstatic. It had been about six years since I had a real field trip, and I was ready to finally explore the city and enjoy myself outside of school and home. This trip was my chance to finally make some actual friends. When I progressed through middle school and 9^th grade, I was quiet and didn’t have anyone to talk to. But as I took this field trip, what I didn’t realize was I took a personality trip as well.

I arrived to school at about 7:00 AM the day of the field trip and school started 10 minutes later. My field trip did not start until 8:30 AM so I progressed through my first and second period classes. As I was sitting in my classes, the clock echoed and roared with every second passing by. My heart was like a drum, pounding constantly on beat. It was as if I was on a roller coaster enjoying the thrill and the adrenaline rush. The opportunity for me to connect with some of my classmates was approaching. When the clock stuck 8:30, I excused myself from the class to head towards the classroom where we were to meet. The second I stepped out of the door, I ran to the class like a bullet, speeding through obstacles as if nothing could stop me. When I arrived at the meeting place, I felt relief; the moment I had been waiting for was about to happen. I gave my permission slip to Mrs. Boone and stepped inside of the chilly, bright science room where half of the students were awaiting for the other half of the students. When the rest of the students arrived, we headed out of the class and walked out of the school where the buses were parked. The closer I got to the bus, the more my excitement grew. As I stepped onto the bus, I took the first seat I saw on the driver’s side, which was 3L. I sat next to a chaperone since I didn’t know anyone very well. As we left Central Gwinnett’s complex, we headed toward the highway and to the destination where my transformation would take place.

We arrived in Atlanta, Georgia about an hour and a half later and everyone’s faces were lit up. Everybody admired the scenery from the shadiness of Underground Atlanta to the big flashing lights of the restaurants like the Varsity and even the skyscrapers that looked like they passed the clouds. We absorbed Atlanta, taking in the fresh autumn air and the loud blaring horns from cars stuck in traffic. Our bus dropped us off at a nearby bridge, and we walked to the “Bodies” exhibit. As we walked to our destination, I noticed that many of my classmates were taking pictures together of the scenery and of each other, and my mood went from excited to lonely; I didn’t have anyone to talk to or take pictures with.

When we arrived at the exhibit, we entered and we were astonished at the sights. We saw many different body parts, organs, and systems of the human body. From the kidneys, to the muscular system, to the eyes, we observed how raw and preserved everything looked. As we toured around the exhibit, many of my classmates were cracking jokes about how the bodies looked disgusting and weird. I then said, “Some of our teachers already look like this,” and the whole room burst into an uproar with laughter. The laughter bounced off the walls and echoed in the compact space. Many people told me I was hilarious as they walked off, and my confidence rose; it was as if every nerve from my toes to my head tingled from happiness.

As we left the “Bodies” exhibit, we had a break in which we could explore the city, interact with each other, and have fun. Most of the students went and formed their usual groups and left to tour Atlanta. As I stood alone looking for something to do, three of my classmates from the other period approached me. Nadera, an Afghan girl, was one of the classmates that approached me. She introduced herself to me and mentioned that she loved my joke from inside of the exhibit. I thanked her and told her it was no big deal. Nadera then introduced her friends: Jose, a Mexican guy, and Marlyne, a Mexican girl. The four of us asked each other a series of questions about each other like our favorite movies and music, and for once I felt warmth in my heart. I felt we made a connection and that I was truly making friends. Then they invited me to tour the city with them. We took a grand journey around the city and it was at this time my true self was revealed.

We walked around the city and talked about many events and scenes that were going on around us. Our newly-formed team decided to be a bit adventurous. We first went to Victoria’s Secret to mess around with the lingerie. Jose and I cracked jokes about the bras until we were all kicked out. After that we went to Cold Stone Creamery and ate ice cream cones. We also went to a little park near the exhibit where we lied down for a good ten minutes. As we lied there, we took in the soft breeze and just talked about what we wanted to be when we grew up. Nadera aspired to be a psychologist, Jose wanted to be an architect, and Marlyne hoped to be a pediatrician, just like me.

To finish our little adventure, we stopped by a souvenir cart and Marlyne and Nadera purchased red, yellow, and green wristbands. I really wanted to be close with them so I stole a band from the cart. As I ran, I caught up to them and they laughed when they realized my mischievous act. Walking to the bus to end the trip, Nadera took a picture of our wrists with our new wristbands and stated that we were going to be friends forever, no matter what would happen in the future. I then went to the side of the bus as everyone else boarded, and I began to cry. For the first time, I had actually made friends.