A Rugged & Real Experience

College has proved to be a whirlwind of decisions, events, and friendships. The party scene has been everything I expected, and more. But, I can’t help but feel that the “college experience” is overrated. After all, my college voyage has only been going for three months and my friends and I have already run out of ideas. The fraternity house parties were fun for a while, but you can only pee in the same bathroom as guys so many times before you lose interest. The bar scene is fun, but it’s impossible to meet people and a showcase for people to make fools of themselves. All of the gossip and hook ups that happen and are talked about on this small campus were proving to get the best of us. That was, until we were invited to go to Hamilton Texas for a weekend get away at a friend of my friend’s ranch.
My friends and I had never been to a ranch before. Vacations for us usually consist of a pool, beach, and sun tanning. But, we were excited for a new experience. We drove for three hours to the Garrett Ranch. As the black rod iron fence opened and showed us the fifteen hundred acre ranch, I couldn’t help but exclaim, “it’s cool we’re being rugged.” The overwhelming feeling of being rugged hunters only lasted for a few minutes as we finally made it to the destination; a ranch house with enough bedrooms for all ten of its guests to sleep alone.
Through out the weekend we participated in activities such as driving around a Polaris, which is used to hunt because it’s smaller and quieter than a truck. We each took turns learning how to safely handle a gun and shoot it. We ate raw pecans from the ground that had fallen off pecan trees a short walk away from the house. And, we took a trip into the barren town. To put things into perspective, Hamilton has a population of 2,977 people. That day there happened to be a championship game in the neighboring town of Glen Rose. Shops and restaurants were closed down just like in old-fashioned movies so that the people who owned them could go to the game. So, instead of meeting people nearby our newest favorite place, we took in the scenery. Everything was old-fashioned and rugged. It felt like we were walking in a scene of an old country western movie.
The trip to Hamilton was one of my favorite things that I’ve done so far in college. It not only made it easy to get my mind off of the stresses of college. It put college into perspective for me. The drama and the parties are fun, but they won’t last forever. I know that I have just begun my partying days and will meet plenty of new people as time goes by here at SMU. But, I think it’s important to be adventurous. When you have a chance to do something outside of your comfort zone, try it because you never know what new hobbies you’ll acquire along the way.