IB Leavin'

Dear Fellow IBers,

It was a journey. Every good story has a beginning, middle, and end; however, as I approach June 8th my story of IB and high school will come to a close. Despite this bittersweet moment I am beyond excited to begin a new chapter of my life at UVa. This year I have embraced the idea of finding joy in the ordinary and enjoying the journey I am on without worrying about what is to come next.

Crazy enough my senior quote was by Walt Whitman, "Keep your face always toward the sunshine–and shadows will fall behind you." This quote reminds me of my favorite flower, a sunflower. There is hope presented in Whitman's quote about facing towards happiness and focusing on positivity. In the midst of admission letters, applications, eating, more applications, the extended essay, IAs, homework, performances, family events, hanging with friends, studying, more presentations, and Netflix (aka bae), I realized that there is more to life than a good grade. Life is about gaining experiences and exploring the world before us. 

I have always enjoyed traveling the world and since an early age my parents have taught me that it is important to be open to new ideas and cultures. However, I never really understood the importance behind what they had been telling me until I joined IB two short years ago. By being part of a close knit group of people I learned how to be open to other perspectives, which provided me with a bigger view of the world. I realized that there is more to life than my opinion. The world is full of 7 billion+ people who are each unique in looks, actions, and thoughts. In the past two years I have let go with being uptight concerning details and embraced adventure, meaning that every inconvenience becomes a new adventure. I am no longer afraid of failing or being imperfect because perfection leaves no room for exploration. 

I have become obsessed with taking pictures and looking at pinterest. Every time I look at my iPhoto I am reminded of who I use to be and who I have become today. I transitioned from a quiet, shy individual to (almost) out going and talkative. The people that have surrounded me have pushed me to break out of my shell and embrace who I am!

In a Whitman way, I'm going to charge you to enjoy the mundane because everything is special and joy can be found in the ordinary. 

~Morgz 

Hey Walt

Between stamps and scribbled cursive are some of Whitman's greatest thought in his notebook. On one of the non-numbered pages antique and religious are written at the top of the page, above the other writings. The last image is very interesting, it is of a skeleton figure with a heart shaped body. There are other drawings of people, "The Saturdy Press," and a harp. It is very interesting to look at the drawings of the various people, or characters, because they all are showing the left side of the face. Possibly Whitman admired the left side of his face more than his right? Or was he more skilled at sketching the left facial features? Or is there a religious connection to the left? I'm sure all of his characters would have a specific "side," of a picture, like any basic white girl. Now back to looking at all of Whitman's notes. One of the lines he wrote was, "Welcome the storm–welcome the trial–let the waves...I shall see what the old ship is made of..." which I think is particularly profound. Through his notes and writings in the notebook I have gathered that besides being a profound writer, Walt Whitman explored religious beliefs and trials. The lines about the storms, trials, and ships make me realize that he was not afraid of possible difficulties because the bad times make us stronger and allow individuals to learn and grow. Without failing or having trouble it is difficult to learn. Various ideas shared above pair well with the idea of Whitman writing about the spider, or mundane. He realizes that truth can be found in the ordinary and darker times. 

The yellow tags point out that Whitman dabbled in religion; however, he viewed God as being four-sided, including Satan, which was different than the interpretation I understood. In the quick line where he wrote religious, he was writing about two religious platforms and these refer to things that were happening during the Civil War. Maybe Whitman's religious views were not as conventional as I first believed? In the beginning while I examined his notes it was difficult for me to understand the president-elect Whitman kept referring to; however, after examining Whitman's works and the notes made by others, I understand that his reference is to Abraham Lincoln. In addition, while I tried to decipher Whitman's notes I didn't understand that he was making a lot of references to current events (the Civil War and Lincoln). Whitman was very interested in what was happening in the United States, specifically in the political realm with respect to Lincoln.