Blurb 1: Between Two Worlds
So I've decided to take up writing blurbs again... Just little short practice writings on anything I'm thinking about at the time. I'm feeling the need to get back into writing again and this is the perfect way to warm up those creative juices. The prompt that I made up is "between two worlds" and this is what I came up with:
Nearly equidistance between San Fransisco and Los Angeles, on the coast of California lies the town of San Luis Obispo. Nestled neatly in a valley surrounded by pastoral ranchland and rolling vineyards, the picturesque town is home to 35,000, half of which is comprised of the college population. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo remains one of the west coasts highest ranked and most prestigious public schools and has long boasted the teaching of a practical education designed to churn out learned adults ready to join the workforce with their “learn by doing” attitude. Established in 1901, it remains today one of the best universities in the state, if not in the entire nation.
For five years, San Luis Obispo or “SLO” as its affectionately known, was my home. I came to Cal Poly fresh out of high school thirsty for a change of scenery and the challenge of a pure academic life at college. Cal Poly and San Luis Obispo hold a history in my family being the school that my mother, father, aunt and uncle all attended. Following in their footsteps had always been my ambition and Cal Poly was the school I yearned to attend most. I still believe the day I got my acceptance letter as being the happiest day of my life to date. Although I’m sure my parents would have supported me no matter what university I attended, I still think they were secretly proud that I would be attending their alma mater, never mind the fact that my father finished his education at Cal Poly Pomona. I suppose that’s beside the point. San Luis Obispo was also nostalgic to me because we often came to the town while visiting my grandparents and cousins in Cambria, thirty miles or so to the north. Although not a central coast native, I knew my way around well enough.
SLO did seem to me a place caught between to worlds. Towards the end of my education, I saw it as a stopover on the way to something better. I loved San Luis Obispo more than worlds can possibly express. Countless friends and experiences far beyond the classroom make up the great tapestry of my college years, which I wouldn’t trade for anything, but still the desire to move on weighed heavy in my heart. I felt old and out of place, as younger and louder students moved about me. As I felt in high school, I wanted to get on with my own life. To the North lay my past and my childhood; a strong foundation for the person I had become. The 101 led the way back to the bay area, through the Salinas valley, reversing the miles to where I began life. To the South lay my future. I’d always known that in a way that I find difficult to explain. I’m not sure how much I believe in pre-destiny or premonition but I retained an inkling that somehow I would find myself a resident of the southland, the dwelling place of my dreams and goals. Caught between the comfort of my past and the uncertainty of my future, San Luis Obispo remained the last toe hold on my journey to adulthood; a last stopover before committing myself to following my destiny.
Nearly equidistance between San Fransisco and Los Angeles, on the coast of California lies the town of San Luis Obispo. Nestled neatly in a valley surrounded by pastoral ranchland and rolling vineyards, the picturesque town is home to 35,000, half of which is comprised of the college population. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo remains one of the west coasts highest ranked and most prestigious public schools and has long boasted the teaching of a practical education designed to churn out learned adults ready to join the workforce with their “learn by doing” attitude. Established in 1901, it remains today one of the best universities in the state, if not in the entire nation.
For five years, San Luis Obispo or “SLO” as its affectionately known, was my home. I came to Cal Poly fresh out of high school thirsty for a change of scenery and the challenge of a pure academic life at college. Cal Poly and San Luis Obispo hold a history in my family being the school that my mother, father, aunt and uncle all attended. Following in their footsteps had always been my ambition and Cal Poly was the school I yearned to attend most. I still believe the day I got my acceptance letter as being the happiest day of my life to date. Although I’m sure my parents would have supported me no matter what university I attended, I still think they were secretly proud that I would be attending their alma mater, never mind the fact that my father finished his education at Cal Poly Pomona. I suppose that’s beside the point. San Luis Obispo was also nostalgic to me because we often came to the town while visiting my grandparents and cousins in Cambria, thirty miles or so to the north. Although not a central coast native, I knew my way around well enough.
SLO did seem to me a place caught between to worlds. Towards the end of my education, I saw it as a stopover on the way to something better. I loved San Luis Obispo more than worlds can possibly express. Countless friends and experiences far beyond the classroom make up the great tapestry of my college years, which I wouldn’t trade for anything, but still the desire to move on weighed heavy in my heart. I felt old and out of place, as younger and louder students moved about me. As I felt in high school, I wanted to get on with my own life. To the North lay my past and my childhood; a strong foundation for the person I had become. The 101 led the way back to the bay area, through the Salinas valley, reversing the miles to where I began life. To the South lay my future. I’d always known that in a way that I find difficult to explain. I’m not sure how much I believe in pre-destiny or premonition but I retained an inkling that somehow I would find myself a resident of the southland, the dwelling place of my dreams and goals. Caught between the comfort of my past and the uncertainty of my future, San Luis Obispo remained the last toe hold on my journey to adulthood; a last stopover before committing myself to following my destiny.