Patience does not come easily to 18-year-olds such as myself. We have places to go and things to buy. Well, my past year has been an education in patience.
Last fall, I moved to Cheyenne from a little town in southern Arizona to attend Laramie County Community College. Growing up in said small town, I was accustomed to going wherever I pleased with no hassle. I had my own vehicle ever since I received my license. Sure, it was an old, clunky pickup truck that coughed like an asthmatic, but it was my own and fulfilled my little teenage desires that generally consisted of going to my high school football games and the movie theater.
However, my old truck could not make the journey from Arizona to Wyoming. And, so, my first time in a place outside my little desert town, I was without wheels.
That first semester was rough. I was alone with an overly ambitious workload of classes. I locked myself away in my dorm room because I had nowhere else to go. Landlocked on campus, I quickly became depressed working so much with a job on campus and all my classes.
This led me to quit eating, and I dropped to about 115 pounds, quite malnourished for my 5-foot-10 frame.
Thankfully, I met some wonderful people who befriended and helped me, one of whom is now my absolute best friend.
I became healthier, in body and mind, because of their gentle encouragement. They took me off campus, which broke up my rut of a routine that was driving me mad.
With some help from such great people, I was able to get off campus more and get a second job. My best friend, who knows more about cars than me, began to help me hunt for decent, affordable cars, and I found some interesting leads. Every spare cent went to my car fund.
Then came a whole new set of challenges.
I was rejected for loans multiple times because of my age and lack of credit history. I scoured southern Wyoming and northern Colorado for better deals to present to the bank, getting shot down every time.
In late June, I was shown a 1972 Super Beetle that was in my savings account price range. Despite its needing a little work, I fell in love and even named it: Rodrigo! Some people inspected the car and decided it was solid and functional. The owner had to get a Colorado title for it, as it had come recently from Oregon. So I had to wait for my little Rodrigo.
I've grown up in the months since then. I saved money as fast as possible, which involved some heavy dedication to my two jobs. I spared enough cash to buy a rubber-ducky-yellow girl’s bike so I could ride to both my jobs more easily.
My bike always made me smile; it was adorable, sweet and mine. It was then I realized that in tough times, little things can brighten a day. I began to draw, paint and play video games way too late into the night. I even found a money bank shaped like a VW Bug and painted it to match little Rodrigo. It was a way to keep focused on my goal. Indeed, in such pressured times, the small things that helped me unwind kept me going longer.
For young adults being on their own for the first time, keeping sane is so important. Some think college is a time to party when, in fact, it really is a time to grow up. We aren’t in high school anymore, folks. Our innocence wanes while the realization that we cannot rely solely on our family anymore dawns.
As a postscript, I recently found out I may be unable to buy Rodrigo. He has a complicated past, which is leading to some legal issues with his title. But I will not let this get me down! I believe this struggle for a car has taken me out of my teenage years and dragged me kicking and screaming into adulthood. I now manage my two jobs, college and am able to wedge some relaxation in. Admittedly, I don't sleep much because I still play video games way too late at night.
Last fall, I moved to Cheyenne from a little town in southern Arizona to attend Laramie County Community College. Growing up in said small town, I was accustomed to going wherever I pleased with no hassle. I had my own vehicle ever since I received my license. Sure, it was an old, clunky pickup truck that coughed like an asthmatic, but it was my own and fulfilled my little teenage desires that generally consisted of going to my high school football games and the movie theater.
However, my old truck could not make the journey from Arizona to Wyoming. And, so, my first time in a place outside my little desert town, I was without wheels.
That first semester was rough. I was alone with an overly ambitious workload of classes. I locked myself away in my dorm room because I had nowhere else to go. Landlocked on campus, I quickly became depressed working so much with a job on campus and all my classes.
This led me to quit eating, and I dropped to about 115 pounds, quite malnourished for my 5-foot-10 frame.
Thankfully, I met some wonderful people who befriended and helped me, one of whom is now my absolute best friend.
I became healthier, in body and mind, because of their gentle encouragement. They took me off campus, which broke up my rut of a routine that was driving me mad.
With some help from such great people, I was able to get off campus more and get a second job. My best friend, who knows more about cars than me, began to help me hunt for decent, affordable cars, and I found some interesting leads. Every spare cent went to my car fund.
Then came a whole new set of challenges.
I was rejected for loans multiple times because of my age and lack of credit history. I scoured southern Wyoming and northern Colorado for better deals to present to the bank, getting shot down every time.
In late June, I was shown a 1972 Super Beetle that was in my savings account price range. Despite its needing a little work, I fell in love and even named it: Rodrigo! Some people inspected the car and decided it was solid and functional. The owner had to get a Colorado title for it, as it had come recently from Oregon. So I had to wait for my little Rodrigo.
I've grown up in the months since then. I saved money as fast as possible, which involved some heavy dedication to my two jobs. I spared enough cash to buy a rubber-ducky-yellow girl’s bike so I could ride to both my jobs more easily.
My bike always made me smile; it was adorable, sweet and mine. It was then I realized that in tough times, little things can brighten a day. I began to draw, paint and play video games way too late into the night. I even found a money bank shaped like a VW Bug and painted it to match little Rodrigo. It was a way to keep focused on my goal. Indeed, in such pressured times, the small things that helped me unwind kept me going longer.
For young adults being on their own for the first time, keeping sane is so important. Some think college is a time to party when, in fact, it really is a time to grow up. We aren’t in high school anymore, folks. Our innocence wanes while the realization that we cannot rely solely on our family anymore dawns.
As a postscript, I recently found out I may be unable to buy Rodrigo. He has a complicated past, which is leading to some legal issues with his title. But I will not let this get me down! I believe this struggle for a car has taken me out of my teenage years and dragged me kicking and screaming into adulthood. I now manage my two jobs, college and am able to wedge some relaxation in. Admittedly, I don't sleep much because I still play video games way too late at night.