Having a change of environment can take a toll on our views of life and society and calls for adapting into the new surroundings. My name is Danmay and I just moved to Dunnellon. Moving from New Jersey has been a game changer for me. Not only is the weather a lot warmer but it’s been a very splendid welcoming for me. In the week and a half that I’ve been residing here I’ve already experienced a huge contrast on a wide range of things, from the school, to the town, even down to the insects dwelling among us. It’s a good thing I’m observant! I’m also grateful for my huge amount of tolerance and acceptance as I join in on the pride of Dunnellon Tigers.
Each time I move, the school structure gets even more complex. I’ve gone from a “U” shape to an “H” shape to a musical staff shape to . . . what we find ourselves with here at Dunnellon High School. The colors and numbers in the halls help a lot; I don’t know how I could get around without them. I’ve already memorized my path but if you asked me to go somewhere else other than my classes, it’d take a lot of wandering around. It’s a good thing I don’t have to master the building. I’m only in this school for a total of six weeks, so getting too familiar with it would be pointless.
Being at Dunnellon High School is especially touching to me because it constantly reminds me of the town I grew up in. I grew up in Dover, New Jersey. If I had stayed I would have been going to DHS. Not only do the two schools have the same initials but they are also the Dover Tigers. The only difference is that their colors are orange and black instead of red and black. So being a part of another pride of tigers brings back a lot of memories and makes me reminisce about the good old days.
Going to school here has already been full of surprises. You cannot imagine how much joy I contained when I was told that school starts at 9:30 a.m. I’ve been used to starting school at 7 a.m. Two hours doesn’t seem like much, but I can already tell that it has really helped my education. I feel more focused and can function more efficiently. The second surprise presented to me was when I walked onto the bus and there was a guy side and a girl side. I’m still wondering if all the buses do that, or if it’s just mine. Then there’s the whole driving on the same road as in Jeepers Creepers and watching that tree go by on my way to school. It freaks me out when I see it.
When I showed up at school, it was like entering an alternate universe. Where I come from all the girls use their purses for school. If someone shows up with a backpack they’re looked at funny. Of course I went ahead and asked, “Where are the lockers?” When I found out they were removed I felt dumb, but at least the use of backpacks made a lot more sense. I still need to get my hands on one since I haven’t used on since back in elementary school. I also found out that there were only six periods rather than the eight I’m used to. I’ve never done block scheduling either, so that was another thing I had to ease into. It has all been for the best though since its made school work more manageable.
One thing I like about Dunnellon High School is how diverse it is. That’s another thing it has in common with my hometown in Dover. I’ve missed all of that ever since I moved in middle school and it’s nice to have that back. The last few schools I’ve been to haven’t been as interesting. I find a mixed environment more welcoming and feel at home with all the different cultures around me. Not to mention, everyone has been so nice to me that it’s hard not to feel welcomed. Everyone seems to be good at expressing their true selves here and that encourages me to open up and be myself as well. Other high schools make being your self difficult to do. This is a good environment for developing minds and expressing thoughts and opinions.
Other than school, I’ve seen differences in the environment. For example, the insects I’ve encountered already have astonished me, not only in wonder, but also in fright. When I first visited Florida last September, I had my first encounter with Love Bugs. I was in complete amazement as I watched the very much in love insects fly around together. At first sight, anyone would think these insects are a bit dirty and inappropriate, but at least they’re in love. To this day I can’t believe such bugs exist, but they do, and I’ve only witnessed them here in Florida. I guess bugs have really evolved here. Maybe the whole Charles Darwin evolution thing is in fact very true and the bugs have evolved to adapt to their environment.
Another example of how bugs have evolved in Florida compared to other places is shown by the horrified question I asked the other day, “What? Your Cockroaches fly?” All I have to say about that is “Ew!” and “eek!”. In New Jersey, and I presume much of the world, we have cockroaches, but never has it come to my knowledge that they could fly. I’ve seen cockroaches up to three inches long in Cuba, but never has one flown around in my presence before. I am so frightened to have one land on me. They should make cockroach swatters here. They’d be just like fly swatters except without the holes in them and they should be made of metal, so you really get those suckers good.
Then there’s the horrifying thing we found crawling in our front lawn. I screamed when I saw it. I have no idea what it was, but I was told it was just a caterpillar. I can not believe how gross it was. Just picture a creepy, crawly, huge, Twinkie-looking thing with a white body and a red head. It took me literally five minutes to gain the courage to stomp it down, because all I could muster up at first were tiny, scared baby squishes. Oh dear, I get squeamish just thinking about it. Now let me stop; I don’t want to ruin your day.
Besides the bugs, Dunnellon seems like a great place to live. The communities seem close-knit and everyone smiles and says hello. I enjoy taking long walks around where I live in Rainbow Springs and feel relatively safe. When I look at some parts of Dunnellon, like Rainbow Springs, I think back to the 50’s and how the communities were so nice and connected and everything was just grand. I think of children playing outside and having fun. I didn’t have all too much of that where I’ve been. Also there are a lot of community events on weekends that seem like a lot of fun. Already since I’ve been here there’s been the Boomtown Days and even a carnival to attend. Surely if you search, you will find yourself with something to do here when faced with boredom. Dunnellon is also really close to a lot of bigger cities, so that if you really needed to search for something not provided here, it wouldn’t take much effort.
I’m glad to have moved here. It has been a nice change of environment. Even though I haven’t been here for more than a month yet, I can tell it’s going to be splendid living here. I know I have not been exposed to all parts of Dunnellon and my views are simply from an outsider looking in, but I think there’s a lot of charm and a lot of spirit here in Dunnellon. I thank all of those that have made my welcoming so great and I look forward to having a lot of fun here as graduation approaches and summer comes into view. Even if you don’t like living here, just think of it this way, there are a lot of places where it could be worse. Be thankful for what you have while you have it, and if you get sick of it, move on out and on with life, like me. I found myself a good place to be me.