Seasons of Change

What do you get when you uproot yourself from the comfort of your own home, leave your job, leave your church, leave your friends and leave the place you are most comfortable with? You get a place of newness, a place where your faith and your heart lead you, and much more time to think about things in your life. Although I haven’t left the country or the state like some of our fellow friends and family, things sure have changed.

I find myself in a completely different lifestyle now living in Orange County. I did spend the first few years of my life living in Orange County in the 1980’s, but times were quite different then. I was carefree each day, coming home from school to ride my bike, to play in the sandbox out back, to climb my neighbors trees and scare my mom, and of course play the latest Zelda, Super Mario Bros. and Mega-Man games on the “original” Nintendo.

Things are a little different now that responsibility plays a huge role in life. Uprooting myself is something I have struggled with for many years, because most people, just like me, don’t like change. I am content with my decision to go back to school, and though it will be a long ride till I see the light at the end of the tunnel, life just isn’t any fun without challenges and obstacles.
During my first week of school at Cal. State Fullerton, I was literally dodging in and out of 35,000 people on my way to class. What’s so funny is most people have this rendition of how “Orange County” people are. You know, “how much do you make and what do you drive attitude” Boy, are they right. You just don’t fit in if you don’t have: The name brand clothing on, listening to an IPOD on the way to class, on your IPHONE chatting away at what your boyfriend/girlfriend did to them last night that totally made them mad, texting someone the whole time in class, standing in line making the Bursar’s Office wait because your on the phone, driving that 2008 Mercedes “E” Class at 22 years old, and having the “Bling” to show off to your friends. So what do I do? Pull up in my little red Honda Civic with no A/C as I am almost run over by the Mercedes, park a mile away from my classroom, walk to class with my Kohl’s clothing on because I would rather eat breakfast and lunch than have the latest $100 pair of jeans on, all with a smile and a “hi, how are you” greeting as I walk by everyone on the way to class. I get the funniest looks and the “what the heck is his problem?” or “why is he doing that” attitude from students. I just love it. Take that Orange County!

Believe it or not, the 3 people I sat next to in my 2nd class are all Christians and have become great friends and dedicated study partners while in the program. Even better, all 3 of them are in all 4 of my classes. What are the odds? Guess you know who my credit goes to.
Now in my 7th week of class, I have begun to get involved with the Speech & Language Clinic at CSU Fullerton. So far, I have observed a number of clients with a variety of disorders. Some have had a stroke that impaired their ability to speak (called Aphasia for you smart people), some with Dysphasia (swallowing disorders), Apraxia (motor coordination problems and speech delays), others with brain trauma from car accidents, and still others I have observed with mild to severe Autism, Cerebral Palsy and Down Syndrome. Phew. That was a lot to take in. Each case is different, with some who will be healed and returned to 100% normalcy and others who will be not as fortunate.

Those 5 years I spent at Victor Valley College taking pre-med courses have helped me tremendously in 2 of my classes so far, Communication Disorders and Anatomy/Physiology. See, I knew those classes I took back then weren’t a waste! Who would’ve known I would need them now?! Many of my fellow students in class struggle because they didn’t come from a science based background in their undergraduate studies.

While the subject material is not a walk in the park and many hours of homework follow each night, I am fed well by my parents at dinnertime while I take a break to watch Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune. Heading back to the books about 8pm, My brain tells me at 1 am to knock it off and shut the lights out to get energized for the morning, and I gladly listen. I am just thankful for a place to live and the opportunity to go to school to better myself, better my education and provide help to others who are not as fortunate as we all are. After all, I think most of us would agree we are not here for ourselves but to show love and attention to those who need it…

My journey continues and I will be giving you all updates as they come. For now, please continue to be praying for me, my decisions for school, clarity & focus and success in the program…

Thanks ya’ll!

Scottie