The Daily Egyptian is published by the students of SIU at Carbondale. Except during vacations and exam weeks, The Daily Egyptian is published Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and TWThF during the summer semester."

Time passes too quickly for a poor college student's dreams

My birthday is drawing very near. It's funny how fast the days go by. When I was age 4, time passed so slowly. Sitting still for five minutes at a funeral was considered cruel and unusual punishment. The only things I had to mark my days by were "Sesame Street" and my older sister arriving home from school so I could annoy her while she attempted to defeat her Jr. High math homework. Now I embrace five-minute breaks, usually looking at the clock and extending them to fifteen or twenty minutes - when no one's looking, of course.

I can't believe I'm almost another year older. There are so many things in my life I haven't done yet. For instance, I want to travel. The westernmost state I've been to is Texas - and it's actually southwest. I have no need for a passport because I've never been out of the United States, although there are several places I'd love to go.

I want to see countries through the eyes of someone who lives there. I don't want a vacation package including hotel accommodations and day spa arrangements. Who needs a cabaña boy? I want to see "real" life, including the hardships and the glory of the average citizen. Most choice destination spots depend on tourism so heavily, the tourism part of the city is a complete 360 of what the "real" city is like. Plus, nothing makes me angrier than going into a souvenir shop and buying a shirt with the name of the city you're visiting written across the front, then looking at the neck tag and reading "Made in China." I know this all may sound crazy, but most of my ideas loom on the edge of sanity.

I've also never ridden in a commercial airline, train, ocean liner, hot air balloon, submarine, human drawn cart or Cadillac Escalade. Geez, I'm sheltered. Life without an Escalade, that's not living.

I thought about working for the Peace Corps after I graduate, but two years is a long time. Two years is 730 days. I don't know if I can spend the best years of my life (so I've been told) in another country. Working with orphaned children in some deprived country can have my life's crappy years when I'm older than 50. I'm only joking. I'd love to put something back into this big world; I just haven't decided how.

Why am I worried about getting older? I'm not having a mid-life crisis or anything. It's just that I'm a year and a half away from graduating from SIUC, and I've come to the realization that my future occupation may not be as lucrative as I first hoped. I need to accomplish these things while I'm still in college while it's still socially acceptable to be in debt.

Yesterday, I was thinking that by the time I'm able to afford all of the things I want to own, I probably won't want them anymore. I could start saving for a Chevy Avalanche now, but by the time I have enough for even a down payment, it won't even seem worth it anymore. Isn't that sad?

Maybe someone should really buy me all the things I want now, while I still want them. I finally understand the purpose of a sugar daddy. With the holidays drawling near and Old Navy telling me the holidays are going to hit me like a brick I'm exploring all of my options.

So, to all of the people whose eyes may grace these pages, feel free to send me a birthday present on Dec. 13 and a Christmas present. Be assured that your checks made out to CASH will be put to good use. It may help me wipe the tears from a child in Venezuela, race down Illinois Avenue in a shiny new car, or just spend a five-minute break a little more comfortably.

Shanita is a junior in journalism. If I May appears every Friday. These views do not necessarily reflect those of the DAILY EGYPTIAN.

[Macro error: Can't include because the file is larger than 32767 characters.]

Today's News | Sports | Voices - Editorial | Letters
Newsbriefs | pulse - Arts & Entertainment | Calendar | Photo Staff
Apts & Rentals | Photo Personals | Live DE NewsCam | Classified Ads