This week

has been pretty unlike any week I've ever had.

I was completely alone.

Completely.

I've had alone time, but alone time in the sense that my parents are downstairs and I've escaped to my room upstairs. I've always had a computer and I've always had some way to make contact with my friends. And, as alone as I can be in Rome, Ga is not alone like this. I know people in Rome, and if I'm really tired of being alone, there is always SOMEONE I can call to go do something with. This was not the case this time. I did have my phone and I did talk to Mom, Emily, and Rachel on the phone a couple of times, but other than that, my contact with my friends was almost none. I don't know that I really did that on purpose, but maybe subconsciously, I did... who knows.

I thought, initially, that I would be awesomely brave and talk to everyone and magically make all of these cool new friends. Well, I quickly learned that I sort of suck at talking to people I don't know when I'm not in a setting where it makes sense. For example, when entering college, going to SOAR, I didn't really know anyone. But there, it made sense to talk to the people I didn't know... I was going to be going to school with these people, I would see them often. But, here and now, walking up to someone in a store or on the street and saying "Hi! My name is Sarah. How are you?" just isn't something I'm very good at doing.

So, I didn't. I kept to myself. I walked where I could from here: Carytown and VCU are the two places I walked, and it was good. There were stores I could meander through. Street vendeners who's stands I could peruse. Restuarants I could eat in. I only went to each place twice though. Other than that, I stayed at the house and did a lot, a lot, a lot of meditating and journaling and thinking. I may have even talked outloud to myself a few times. Hmm.

I had some ups and downs. The first night I was here, I ran up and down the hall ways and the stairs and turned my music up really loudly and screamed things like "I HAVE THE HOUSE TO MYSELF!! YAY!!" because I'm special or something. It was a really good time the first couple of days. I was really enjoying my solitude. But, in my solitude it was my mission to learn all I could about Sarah Countryman and what she was all about. And, I did. About half way through the week, I guess Wednesday night, it hit me. Sarah Countryman really doesn't like solitude all that much, but rather she enjoys her time with her friends and with her parents [although, too much time isn't too great either]. I missed everyone a lot. I got really low Wednesday night. It passed and I was okay, but it was odd. It was good, though, in that it was a way of letting me know that as much as alone time is good, I much prefer the "my parents are downstairs so I'm going to escape to my room upstairs" version of alone time, to the "there is no one, and I mean, no one, around" version of alone time.

I learned a few other things about myself. Good things. Things I think I knew, but it took a week alone to realize.

It's about to get real crazy up in here though. [Yes, I did just type "up in here." Do not judge me.] My mom's friends from high school are about to be here for a week. Plus one of the students that lives here during the school year, Daniel, got back today since he's taking a summer class, so he'll be living here for the duration of the time that we're here. He's nice. So, I guess it's good that I had this alone time while it lasted. I'll probably want to go back to it after this. Haha.

Anyway, it's good to see my mom and to have some serious chat time with her. Although, I think I talked her ear off... but, I haven't had anyone to talk to for a while. Hahaha.

That's all for now I think. I think Em's suppsed to call me in a bit. It will be good to talk to her, too. =].

Love love.

SAC