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.