I have just realized how soon school is!

You know those times where you procrastinate and procrastinate because you think you have more time to do something? Well, that's kind of the stage where I'm at now. I have put off packing for the Academy for a looong time, and now I think I am going to pay for it. My parents (especially my mother) are feeling stressed about packing, and now I am worried we won't have time to pack all of my necessities! The shopping for the uniform (did I mention we have to wear a uniform? It's light blue polo shirts and navy blue bottoms [no jeans!]) took a while, as did the shopping for school supplies, two new backpacks (yes, two), and perhaps the most expensive item I own: a MACBOOK. This precious item is what I am lovingly typing on now. The was the keys click is unlike anything I have ever heard before. Pure paradise. The salespeople that sold it to us said that it probably wouldn't last more that four years, but I will take such good care of it! It will last for eternity. 

I will write more later. Now I have to practice piano! I hope people are reading. If you are, please comment!

It's Coming Up...!

Less than a week till registration at the Academy. Here at home, when I see the college kids getting ready for their school year, I think, is this coming too fast? Shouldn't I be waiting four more years until I live away from home? Although I know that this experience will bring many changes to my life, I am excited to learn things that only a child living on her own would know. Don't ask me what those things are, because I cannot don't even know myself! But I will find out shortly, and I will keep you posted (whoever you are out there!).

Countdown: 13 days left

There are now 13 days before my career as a student at the Interlochen Arts Academy begins. How am I feeling? A mix of anxiety and excitement. I'd like to think of it as a kind of healthy nervousness. I'll bread down my feelings for you:

• Anxiety: I realize that at the Academy, I will be practicing three to six hours a day; a considerable change from the two hours I practice daily. Also, I'll be sharing a dorm room with another student. I have never shared a room with someone for that long, and to put it lightly, I am definately not used to sharing my space with another person for a whole year. All in all, the Academy is like college for high school students. I'll compare it to the movie Fame. the Academy is competitive, hard (both academically and artistically), and a whole lot different than a normal high school experience.
• Excitement: When I told my friends about the Academy, a lot of them said, "Hey! A year away from parents! That's great!" I'll admit, some extra freedom would be nice. But when my mother does my laundry and cleans my room, and when my dad takes out the trash and drives me to school everyday, a year without them seems like a very difficult task. Of course I will miss them, but even I don't know the extent of what my feelings be while being away from my family. They are my support system; the ones I know I can lean on when times are good and bad. Sometimes, I feel as if this experience is making me grow up faster than I should be. Usually, kids don't leave home before college; some even stay past their higher education. I, on the other hand, am leaving home as a freshman in high school. But I know that this experience -- as tough and difficult as it will be -- is going to change me. I hope it will be a good, maturing change. We will have to see. That's why I'm writing this blog. So in the end of this year, we will all see the new Ariela.

The Interlochen Experience

In this blog, I will write to you about my experience as a freshman at Interlochen Arts Academy: a bording school in Interlochen, Michigan that focuses on all arts. My major will be piano. This will be my first time spending a whole year away from home, I can promise you that it will be an adventure.