My First and Last Post About the Amish

Let's start this blog off with some background information about me that will help you see where I came from. I was born in Reading, Pennsylvania. I lived in New Jersey for a short time (I don't remember much about that), but in the time that we did live there, I was given a baby sister, just eighteen months younger than me. We got out of New Jersey pretty fast, heading to Pennsylvania. My whole family is basically from PA so naturally it made more sense. Why my parents chose the town that is at least a fifteen minute drive away from EVERYTHING, I will never know. The town of Denver...Pennsylvania. Almost everyone I say "I grew up in Denver" to, they think it's Colorado. I wish it was Colorado. Denver, Pennsylvania is imaginably way different than Denver, Colorado. I need to go one day just to say I've been there. Let me just explain a few things about Lancaster County. Ever hear of the Amish? Ya know, the people who do not use cars, electricity, or technology. Well, Lancaster County is just filled with them, so much that it is referred to as Amish County, Pennsylvania. We have a very active Amish community throughout Pennsylvania in general, but in Lancaster it is the largest population. On my way to the local Walmart, I have to dodge nearly six horse and buggy's, and of course the road they all travel on frequently is very windy with sharp corners. As one can imagine, this poses a huge danger to anyone on the road. There are always crashes involving a horse and buggy, which is particularly sad because usually the horse gets injured, as well as the Amish folk inside the buggy because it offers little to no protection (it is on wooden wheels, after all). Don't get me wrong, I can see the value in the Mennonite religion and the Amish way of life, but, it's really not something I want to live around. Up until I was sixteen and able to drive, I didn't realize how far away we were from basic human rights like Walmart, Target, a mall, or any kind of "city." When I got my license, driving my little 2000 tan Nissan car (named Nora) around I became broke because of how many times I needed to get gas and concluded that I do not want to live a life of constant fueling-up. Now that I am almost 21 and in college, I definitely still feel that way. The few times I've been to big cities like Philadelphia, NYC, or Pittsburgh, I was so enthralled by this different way of living that I would be mad at myself if I didn't venture out at some point in my young life. I would say the biggest regret I have to this day is choosing a college so close to home. Millersville University is just outside of Lancaster City, which is the closest city to my hometown. I guess that's what young love does to a person. It will sway an important decision to go with the safe side, because you are so invested in a person, that the thought of actually going far away for school seems terrifying. At the time my boyfriend already decided he was not going to go to college, he was going to stay at home. Even though he never really told me to specifically go to a school close to home, I didn't need the reassurance. I was so in love with the kid that I acted like I had no problem attending Millersville, only forty-five minutes away from him. Reading those last few sentences again I actually sound crazy. But, really, I thought we had a future together. Little did I know, any kind of distance would completely shatter our relationship simply because we were not meant for each other. Plus, we went from spending every waking moment together to maybe seeing each other once a week. Being a freshman in college I still wanted to make friends and have my own social life there, and I think he had a hard time dealing with that. We broke up countless times, lasting until...let's just say an embarrassingly long amount of time. Anyways, back to my one big regret of not relocating to a cooler place. My interests in what I want to pursue a career in all thrive and exist in cities. I am a communications major with an option in broadcasting. I love television, social media, technology, and writing. I could argue and say I didn't know what I wanted to do when I graduated High School, but I declared my major in the second semester of my first year. I woke up one day and thought "why not major in something I truly like?"--easy enough. I'm sure if I was in Philadelphia or New York I only would have gotten to that decision faster. But hey, I can't change what's in the past, and I gotta work with my decision to be at Millersville. Life goes on!