I always think it’s so strange that I’m only one year away from being legal. 17 seems so old, yet so young. I think being 17 is about starting to come into your own–starting to understand who you are, what makes you tick, and who you want to be. You start to realize who you’re actually friends with and what you need from friends and relationships. Being 17 is about making memories and having experiences; it’s about making mistakes and learning from them. As a senior in high school, being 17 also means desperately trying to juggle six AP classes, college applications, extracurriculars, while maintaining some semblance of a social life. Personally, I’ve given up a bit on the social life. It’s a good life once you’re done with college applications, but until then, it’s incredibly stressful. 17 is a good age though. It’s a bit of a limbo age, as you’re still your parent’s child and you’re still making all the same stupid mistakes teenagers make, but at the same time, you or your friends can drive, so you have a lot more freedom, and you’re nearly an adult. I’m curious about being 18, really. I wonder if I’ll feel more mature or if I’ll act the same, despite knowing I’m legally an adult. As for now, I’m enjoying this limbo between the teenage years and legality.

Do you like small town or big city , and why?

I’m used to Kennett by this point, and I love it here. Downtown Kennett is one of my favorite places to go with my friends, whether it’s for a lavender latte at Talula’s Table, a crepe at Yo’r So Sweet, sushi at Lily’s, browsing at the Green Eyed Lady, or tea shopping at Mrs. Robinson’s. Honestly, the list of things to do isn’t the longest, but it’s more than enough and is near and dear to my heart. But when I’m in Taiwan (where my mother is from), we’ll travel to Taipei and I’ll fall in love with the city lights and endless hustle and bustle of the streets. Everything is so exciting, and there’s always something new to be found right around the next street corner. When I look at both together, though, there’s something nice about the familiarity of a small town. The anonymity of a big city scares me sometimes–I feel like a little ant among millions of others, ready at any second to get trampled over. In a small town, I feel more recognized and comfortable, as you’re always coming across someone you know. Friendly waves and smiles are integral to a small town, and for that reason, I have to say I like small towns more.  

What’s the last thing you cried about ? 

I had to think about this, actually. The last time I cried wasn’t too recently (thankfully), although I can definitely think of some times I’ve cried this school year. It’s been stressful. My physics class has been killing me lately, so there’s a good chance I cried about not being able to do the homework and feeling entirely hopeless. I’ve never done so poorly in a class, let alone felt so hopeless and lost. It’s led to some sleepless nights and discussions with my parents and guidance counselor about changing to the lower AP class, but in the end, I’ve decided to grin and bear it. Besides, what’s life without a few tears?

I had to think a lot about this question, and I really don’t have an answer. I’ve had some really great days in my life, but few of them stand out to me. After thinking about this for awhile, though, I noticed that the days I thought of were actually rather ordinary days.

For instance, a remember feeling rather happy after simply enjoying a stress-free afternoon with my sisters and mom in downtown Kennett. We enjoyed a delicious lunch at Lily’s and then decided to visit the Growing Tree and try on some silly clothes, back before it switched to only toys. When we left, we discovered it was pouring rain. We ran back to the car laughing, still on a mental high from taking the time to do something so fun and relaxing after ages and ages of being in school. Our happiness contrasted the rain greatly, and I suppose that irony has made it hard for me to forget that day.

Another great memory of mine is skipping up a long ramp with my dearest friend, Katie, and just belting out “We’re off the see the wizard! The wonderful wizard of Oz!” We skipped until we couldn’t and then we stopped and burst into a fit of giggles. Of course, everyone was looking at us like we were crazy, but we were just having fun and enjoying each other’s company.

Now that I’m going off to college, days like these are the ones I cherish most. My family won’t be around anymore, and my friend Katie is already in college. The time I spend with my best friends and family is ticking away by the second, and seizing the few moments I can with them to make more great memories is more important than ever. So I definitely don’t have a best day (at least not yet), but I can honestly say that some of my best memories are simply snapshots of a single day, snapshots of when I am the happiest.