the people of jiachpi

Well, here I am, back in the real world. I think that's a really funny phrase. When I was at GHP, we kept on referring to home as the "real world." But when I'm back home, I refer to the "real world" as the adult life, the world outside of school, the world of cubicles and sick days. But when I reach that world, I'm sure I'll refer to the real world as poverty, Africa, and war. And when I'm there, I'm bound to refer to the "real world" as back in America, because that's where I'll have spent the majority of my life. So from what I can gather, this real world is unattainable and we're always stuck in a state of fantasy. Right? Right. Anyways.

So GHP. I know that whenever you ask someone how GHP was, you always get the same one-worded answer- "awesome!" or "amazing!" and that ends up being that. Nobody from the outside world really knows what goes on inside of there. It's so mysterious. It's like the liminal phase, a transition of sorts, an unspoken of place. It's not that we traveled to a different world and were forbidden to talk about it or anything like that, it's just that so much happened during those six weeks that it all just mushes together and becomes one big blob of GHP. I mean, come on, they're just days. And each day was fun. And you have all these fun activities, and all these fun people, and all these fun classes, and every day is fun and interesting and fun. And together, that makes something life-changing, because we don't get enough fun in the real world (or we're scared to). At least that's how I look at it.

I learned a lot. I learned things from my Commie classes, things about dead people, undead people, TV shows, literature from different time periods, court cases, the strange conception of reality, myths, Joseph Campbell, the five sole companies that control America's media, advertisements (oh how I don't want to be in the marketing industry anymore), cultures of the world, perfection, eternity, women...

I learned to make my bed every morning and sleep without falling off the bed. I learned how to make it back to my dorm from West Lawn in two minutes. I learned that if you close your eyes, you won't notice all the gnats flying around you outside. I learned that you should just give your empty plates to music majors in the morning so that they can throw them away, since they have fifteen more minutes than any of the other majors. I learned that everyone in your class stares at you funny if you're on time. I learned that some people really have too much power, whether it be in their voices or instruments. I learned who had the ramen and who to raid at night after hall check. I learned that watching movies is not a waste of time, especially when they're Disney movies. I learned that rocks are animate. I learned that it's a lot more fun to go on the computer when there's other people around you (even if nobody is talking to each other). I learned how to slyly hack into somebody's facebook and make the joke just the right amount of funny. I learned that everything is a phallic symbol, practically. I learned about my faith. I learned that it's really hard to have opinions sometimes, because nobody's ever going to be happy. I learned how to stand still and pose (for no apparent reason) for random people walking to Palms. I learned what to do with my broken shades: wear them that way. I learned that I was immune to tickling. I learned how to act like a Power Ranger. I learned how to salsa with incompetent people. I learned how to meet strangers. I learned how to have a conversation with only laughter, no words. I learned how to dance funny. I learned how to love.

And if you were to see me again (which you will), you probably wouldn't see much of a change in me. If I were to look in the mirror, I wouldn't see much of a change either. But I feel somehow different. I feel better. Not new, but better, in all aspects. So cheers to growing up a little.