.
While in France, Baldwin met other American writers that were there for the same reasons. This is when he realizes that regardless of their ancestor's history, they are all Americans and they already know each other better than any European could. However, because he had been exposed to discrimination for as long as he was, the cuts ran deep. He was brought to the mountains of Switzerland, given two Bessie Smith' records and a typewriter. There he remained, in the absolutely alabaster landscape, until he could put all the pieces of his past back together in a way that made sense to him. (47).
Now that I've been in college for six months, living away from home for the first time, I can follow Baldwin's example and analyze my old self from a new environment. I can see now that most of the problems that I faced at home were due to me not being aware of what was expected. "Every Society is really governed by hidden laws ours is no exception- (50). For example, I did not come to understand the "hidden laws- that governed my town until now, people gain respect if they know what they're sure of themselves. I can see now that all I would have had to do is open up my mind to what was happening, and it would've been gravy. .
We can reverse the analysis just as easily, and I can think about my life at school in the big picture. I can see that the difference between these two lives I'm living is not the way that I'm thinking, but the actions that I take. Being a student at Northeastern has opened my eyes to so many new and exciting things. The biggest of anything, I think is that I now realize that life is full of risks, and sometimes not taking a chance you could be missing one of the greatest moments of your life. Most of the time these risks aren't nearly as bad as they sound, its just that you have to find the strength within you to know if you want to do it or not. In the end it's all about the memories, and I want to make the most of it, because at the end of the day that's all we've got.