Life in the Fast Lane: Another Summer Gone

July 21, 2008. It’s the last week of the 2008 Upward Bound Summer Program. It’s gone by so quickly! Six weeks seems like yesterday, and at the same time seems like an eternity ago. We’ve all been through so much together, and now we’re all going to return to our separate homes and lives. While most of us will be glad to go home, there is still a bit of sadness over leaving our UB family.
Thinking back to the first week, I can see how much all of us have changed. For me, as a new student, the first few days were absolutely terrifying. It was like being at a new school all over again- having to learn new and foreign rules, meeting all new people, and the infamous “who do I sit with at lunch” moments. Six weeks seemed like an eternity of torture. I was absolutely certain I would never make any friends, that I would hate it here and want to drop out after the first week. But now I know just how wrong I was.
The first two days we hit the ground running.  Check in, get your tour and orientation, and then say goodbye to family. Next came the very first All-Project meeting, time to get up and introduce ourselves in front of almost 200 people. Then the first core group meeting, where we got to know ten of the people we were going to spend the next six weeks living with. The next morning we had the ACT test, four hours of boredom right in the middle of all of the excitement. After that we got our ID cards, changed classes, signed up for electives, and played the student leader games.
Then came Monday- the very first day of classes, where we finally got to see who we would have classes with, who our teachers were, and what our classes would be like. For me it was an especially important day, a day when I really got to understand what UB was all about. The first Monday was also when most of us began figuring things out- who we would hang out with, which RA’s were cool, how to end up in the front of the meal line, how early we needed to get to the showers to avoid the lines, etc. Then, on Tuesday we had Grad Night. For people who were new to the program who didn’t know any of last year’s seniors, it most likely felt like a boring waste of everyone’s time. But for some, it was not only a chance to see recently graduated friends, but a look into the future for UB participants, a view of where we could be after senior year.
After Grad Night, everyone began to settle into the schedule of things. Get up in the morning, go to breakfast, classes, lunch, work, dinner, and then electives, special events, study time, and free time. And then suddenly it was Friday, one week was already gone, and it was time to go home. We all went our separate ways, temporarily returned to our lives. And then it was Sunday, back for the second week. Not everyone came back- a few dropped out or were expelled. But most of us did. And we kept coming. The second week our special event was Academic Decathlon. For some it was boring, I mean who wants to compete to see who can answer more questions? But for some, especially those on the two leading teams, Devil’s Postpile (my team) and Mt. Lassen, it was a fun break from school work and time to get a little friendly rivalry going. Devil’s Postpile lost to Mt. Lassen by one point, but it was still a lot of fun for most of those involved, especially when Tong lost his bet to Jaz and had to dance in front of everyone.
Then came the third week. By then, everything had been pretty much solidified; we all ate with pretty much the same people for every meal, walked the same routes to class, studied in the same places. The third week was when our first report cards came out, and therefore when people were reminded of the dreaded AIP. It was also a shortened week, as we all went home Wednesday night because of the Fourth of July holiday. Our special event was the talent show. Many girls and a few boys entertained us with their singing skills. Blade Marshall awed everyone with his flexibility with his contortionist routine. And, as the final act, the Lucky Seven showed us that RA’s have talents too.
After week three, it was Friday. The summer program was officially halfway over! Where had the time gone? It all went by so quickly. When everyone came back for week four, Upward Bound was really beginning to feel more like a home and less like a cross between camp and summer school. We were all getting closer. By week four, we knew almost everyone’s names, what grade they were in, what school they went to, all of that stuff. We went to the Outlaw’s game on Tuesday, where the Outlaws smashed the Orange County Flyers 19-6.Week four was when we had major smoke problems. Our community service project was canceled due to the smoke, and we had to wear protective masks on Thursday and Friday. Instead, we went with the visiting Sonoma State Upward Bound to Cal Skate, which was a fun and for some it was a painful way to spend the afternoon.
Week five! Where had the time gone? Second report cards came out. Are you on AIP? We all started to realize that the program was almost over. The smoke began to clear, the weather was nice. We had core group skits on Tuesday. While some were funny, most were difficult and painful for all of those involved. But we got through it. Teachers started to pile on the homework- got to get everything done before finals! At this point, we were all beginning to realize that it had gone by much too quickly. We’ve developed friendships, had so many good times together. Sometimes it’s hard to imagine or remember living life any other way.
 And now we come to week six: the end. How did it happen so quickly? Being caught up in homework, the next special event, and planning for free time and weekends, we all let the summer slip by, without stopping to smell the roses and enjoy the little things. Some of us, myself included, will be here next year, but some will not. While some UBers may have friends from the same school, most of us are friends with students from all over the north state, from Redding to Marysville, or even Hawaii in the case of our exchange students Joel and S’mete. It’s been so much fun. I know that I will miss this place. Upward Bound is a family, a home, and a life changing experience, and it’s over much too soon. But as Richard Bach said,
“Don't be dismayed at goodbyes.  A farewell is necessary before you can meet again.  And meeting again, after moments or lifetime, is certain for those who are friends.”