I don’t know anyone in my early morning class. Not a soul. This is also the first time I haven’t known anyone since my first day of my first year. And even that time I knew someone from my residence floor. I have my headphones in. I have my music on. I have my coffee. I have some serious time to kill. I went to class early and I shouldn’t have, nor ever will again. Now, I am the friendless, eager-beaver waiting outside the locked door of her 8:30 am class. No one is around to see this sad, state of affairs that I am in. And if there were, I probably wouldn’t know them. Down the hallway I can hear voices, two young women that I am yet to see. I hear them interrupt each other and talk over each other as they get closer. Then one girl pipes up:
“So I think that all the people in my other class are waaaaaay older, like, older-older, like 25 older”
I was 25. I was older. But what constitutes older-older? Does this “term” apply to me to? I didn’t know what to think. I heard the words, they struck a chord with me, and the only thing that I did was smirk. A gigantic smirk-smile spread wide across my face; a smirk that blended shock and slight annoyance through clenched teeth. I am that older student that this young girl was talking about. I don’t think 25 years of age is old let alone old-old, and being old-old sounds OLD. I stood there smiling as these young fillies’s rounded the corner. They stopped when they saw me standing there. They gave me weird look and then started giggling to each other. I didn’t get it. Was my 25 year-oldness showing? I then realized that I was still smiling, at them, in a room that moments ago had no one in it. Now, not only was I, friendless, early and part of the “old” category of students, I was the weird girl who smiles in empty rooms. Awesome.
25 is not old at all and anyone who thinks that is silly. I just turned 19 a few weeks ago and I always feel like the baby in all of my classes because I chose to take a bunch of third and fourth year classes. Either way, I think you look great for 25! or even older. So about your post, I loved this concept, the description of the girls and their gossip,( as most young girls do ) was excellent! The only thing I would comment on would possibly be making the title a bit more entriguing, maybe something such as "Your only as old as you feel, or you're told..in my case" or something along those lines!.. also if you encorperated a paragraph about the reasons behind why you feel that 25 is not old.. like activities you do and such. Thats just my opinion. I enjoyed reading your piece though!: ) -Brid
ReplyDeleteTake it from this older-older student who is more often than not older than the professor of any given class, you are not old. Besides, there’s nothing to fear in aging.
ReplyDeleteThe greatest benefit of age is that you become completely comfortable in your own skin. You gain power and confidence when you gradually, and happily, cease putting any stock in the ways others perceive you. It’s freedom.
That’s where I stand now, but long ago, I felt just like you do now, and you brought me back to that time. I enjoyed your use in the first paragraph of the present-tense to focus on your feelings of that moment in the classroom. It’s the most powerful part of the blog. In the second paragraph, you switch to the past-tense, which indicates that you moved to reflection-mode. I like the idea of that tactic, but I think the second part would have been stronger had you remained in the present-tense.
I’m glad you decided to smile to yourself at the situation. Okay, maybe it made you look “the weird girl”, but it also tells me that you’re not stuck in that first-paragraph-moment. Your title “And it starts…” suggests this is only the beginning. It would have been interesting to learn your thoughts about your next steps – your coping strategies.
All you needed is someone to say "awk-werddd" in a high-voice and slowly back away, and you would have achieved the textbook uncomfortable moment.
ReplyDeleteThis is good stuff-- a situation like that isn't comfortable when it happens but it's definitely an interesting thing to write about later on. It's funny the way it's described so neurotically because the first paragraph lays out the kind of scenario anyone would get pissed off about (to themselves), then after the girl says something, it adds on to everything else and triggers a whole other topic of concern: age. I like words like "old-old" and "25-year-oldness" and how you went outside the box to truly express yourself. You use sarcasm effectively and prove that "you can't laugh at anyone until you can laugh at yourself". Your delivery reminds me of George Costanza, you know, of that popular '90s sitcom "Seinfield"?
If anything you should have mentioned how old you felt before the girl's comment, how you feel now, and whether that's a good or bad thing. Alana, you're as spry as a fifteen year-old, and I can vibe to your writing.
I like the way you used humour in your writing. It is always easy to follow something that makes you chuckle. My favorite part was the ending. I like how you cope with being old old with humour. I am triple old and have felt that same discomfort.
ReplyDeleteYou used a light hearted approach. You basically took something that happened and told in order of events. I like that. Sometimes it is nice to read something and not have to read anything else into it.
I found that the title may have been lacking a little, but otherwise I enjoyed the read.
Thanks for letting me know that I am not the only old old person at school (and trust me, I do not see 25 as being even close to old!)