Personal Narrative: My Life In West Virginia

Well the week of our trip to Memphis Tennessee had finally arrived ! My colleagues Beverly,

As a North Carolinian, I did not spend very much time dwelling on the state of West Virginia. To me, it was a state that not many people paid attention to. It kind of just did its own thing without anyone thinking twice about it. It wasn’t until when I was deciding where to go to school that West Virginia was formally introduced to me. Contacted by the Women’s Lacrosse coach, I visited and promptly fell in love with the University of Charleston but it was nothing I was expecting from West Virginia. When I began to tell people that I was going to school in WV, I was flooded with opinions. Every friend of mine I’ve told, gave me the same or similar response: “doesn’t everyone have sex with their cousins up there?” Now I would be lying if I hadn’t thought of that once or twice about it but that was only the tip of the iceberg when it came to my perceptions of the state.

Looking back out of the small window, I catch a final glimpse of corn fields and lonely railroad crossings before they dip below the horizon. For my first time on a plane, the excitement of adventure meets me as I depart from the comfort of home and enter a world unknown outside of Nebraska. Seeing the world in God’s view as the landscape evolves below, I fall in love with flying. Looking down from 30,000 feet and seeing earth on such a vast scale, I realize how much there is to discover.

Being from rural Mississippi, people from other states assume that we know very little about what goes on outside our state let alone our own town. In a way, I can see why, but glad I am one of the ones who, thanks to my family, have an idea of a world larger than my town. I am from a family of six consisting of my mother, father, step-mother, brother, and identical twin sister. We did a lot of traveling when growing up normally traveling out of state even if just for weekends. My interest in other cultures and languages came from my family, especially on my mother’s side where I members who traveled out of country for work and would bring us back clothes, books, or other souvenirs. My dad did not do as much traveling as my mom and had not

The greasy scent of cheap burgers and fries wafted into the car as we pulled into the parking lot of a Wendy’s, right in the heart of who-knows-where, East Tennessee. I couldn’t contain my excitement as I rushed my 12-year-old self out of the minivan and into the palace of grease. Clad in ratty sweatpants and a t-shirt with my hair pressed down from my prolonged use of headphones, it was evident that I spent long hours sitting in a car, asking “if we’re there yet” too many times to count. In this moment, however, carving up Snowshoe Mountain on my snowboard didn’t seem as exciting as the machine that stood across the room. Standing tall, shiny, and red, the Coca-Cola Freestyle soda fountains were in the early stages of being released, and

West Virginia can make you wonder about different things that it might have different from any other place. The biomes has many interesting things about its self. The temperature can change for different reasons, the Precipitation is different everywhere, the plants, soil and animals are important in their own ways.

The only state I have ever known as home is North Carolina. I was born and raised in Charlotte and the only time I have ever moved away was last year to start a new chapter of my life as a college student. Growing up in Charlotte has had such an impact on what I plan to do with my future. As a young child I always thought of Charlotte as the next best thing to New York City. I shortly realized after visiting that was not quite the case. New York City introduced me to a new world of opportunity.

Everyday gets harder and harder to survive. The storms are getting worse. They make my husband's farm all dry. It’s very hard to find food when we can’t grow our food either. The stock market just crashed a few years ago and everything is just getting worse. Everyone in our little town in Kansas is struggling it's not just our family. Last week the dust got so bad outside we were trapped inside our house for almost two days. The wind would be so strong and the heat would also be so bad it would burn our skin if we went outside. I know the whole town is struggling even though I haven’t been outside for a few weeks. We lost all our chickens from the wind. I wonder if anyone else has lost any of their animals too? If my family was strong enough

A toast to a place above all the rest, this place though odd has captured my heart. I know this isn’t a conventional Burns supper toast, or even a real toast at all. But as I was thinking about which toast I wanted to give; I realized that there was only one place that I wanted to talk about. So firstly, I would like to ask you guys have you ever been to a place that makes you feel happy. A place that even at the mention of its name, you can’t help but think of happy memories you had there. The place that does that for me is the Black Hills of South Dakota. I spent my summer working at a campground in the heart of the Black Hills. So here’s a toast to the Black Hills and all of its natural beauty.

At the age of 27, I had an epiphany; For my entire adult life, I had not been truly living. After careful consideration of solutions, seemingly endless nights of research, and thorough preparation, my decision was to uproot myself and move from Virginia to Colorado. In the three years that I lived there I learned many things about myself and my surroundings. I discovered the most beautiful and amazing nature scenes and had some exciting adventures. The daily sunshine and glorious views always brought a smile to my face and lifted my spirits. If I ever woke up not feeling great, all I had to do was take a step outside. There, my energy levels soared as I hiked my days away and enjoyed peace in the mountains, at the parks, and by the lakes and

West Virginia is an amazing place, aside from the weather. In fact, I think John Denver did an amazing job describing the state in his song, “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” West Virginia is also filled with amazing people with incredible lives and stories. What I found most astonishing was that this is the only place where I have truly experienced people being a man for others. We were welcomed by complete strangers into their homes, they shared their food, and even bought us ice cream. This is something that I never experienced back home and I was shocked when I first saw this. I have been taught about being a man for others, and I never really understood it. At home, we are forced to do it because we have a service requirement, but out in

I thought today would be just another normal day in chilled Maryland, but oh could I have been more wrong. The day started out just like every other. My little eleven-year-old heart was full of jubilance. I was having an admirable day with all my friends, and I had no worries. None of my siblings knew that an event that night at dinner was about to change our lives for better or for worse. My family and I sat down at aged table and we could all feel the tension that surrounded the air. “We have something to tell you guys, and we don’t want you to get upset” declared my mother. This statement made me nervous. Anytime some says not to get upset, you know something has happened that is going to change your entire live. “We are moving

I believe in West Virginia. I believe in the rugged mountains and the family sensation I experience when I am in the state. West Virginia is where family, friends, and tradition can always be found. This state may seem insignificant to the average person, but in my eyes, it is one of the most influential places in my life. Many holidays and vacations are spent on the glistening lake of West Virginia in the small town of Grafton surrounded by cheerful family and friends. Although we make our way to the “Mountain State” on many occasions, my best-loved time to go is during the summer over the fourth of July. All of my family packs themselves into our little lake house in the woods for around three weeks. We spend our time skiing, swimming, and tubing on the small lake,

Low battery. Exactly the two words I didn’t want to see right now. While on our annual trip to Kansas we are in Brian's truck heading out to the corn fields to shoot our limits of geese and ducks. Waiting for this trip every year is like going through pregnancy. You wait 9 months for it and when it finally comes your whole life changes.

When you ask a kid where they are from, they can usually give you a fairly simple response of the town and state they grew up in, but when I was asked this question, I had two answers instead of one. I had one home in Grand Island, Nebraska and another in Silver Creek, Nebraska. While Grand Island is the third largest city in our state, Silver Creek is among the smallest with a population of only about 400. I like to think that being a part of both of these very different communities has had a definite influence on the person I am today by offering me exposure to unique perspectives and experiences that I wouldn’t have had otherwise.