PERSPECTIVES
The Michigan Daily Thursday, April 13, 1989 Page 5
Facing
the
end of
an
amazing trip
BY MICHAEL LUSTIG
Fasten your seatbelts.
The journey is about to end.
I reserved my ticket well over four
years ago, in December, 1984, and
confirmed my reservation in May,
1985.
During the summer of 1985, as I
completed one journey, I prepared for
another. I spent the summer packing
my preconceived ,notions and ex-
pectations about college, but none of
those pre-college ideas of mine came
near matching the adventures I have
had.
political science, I kept going back. I
was dazzled into a delightful confu-
sion by a lay over in linguistics. A
look into sociology opened my eyes
to some unpleasant, but important,
things, while stops in history and
classical studies showed me that
people today don't always learn from
mistakes yesterday.
But the intellectual growth has
come from more than hours in
(usually) stuffy classrooms. (Visits
in East Engineering and the MLB
have usually been under adverse con-
ditions.) A tremendous source of this
I knew Michigan was a big place, and coming from a
very small high school, this journey was similar to
taking a canoe across the Atlantic Ocean.
ing from a very small high school,'
this journey was similar to taking a
canoe across the Atlantic Ocean.
The people of my stories have
brought me new adventures every
time I have picked up a pen. They
have shared with me their own jour-
neys, which sometimes made me cu-
rious, sometimes jealous, sometimes
angry, but I have always been will-
ing to go on, even if I did not know
the obstacles ahead.
Return your chairs and tray tables to
their upright positions.
This extended journey I am about
to end has also brought me tremen-
dous personal and emotional growth.
I have encountered the perilous upsl
and downs of the dreaded R-word, re-
lationships, which have at the same
time made me hesitant and anxious;
to face themmagain. Through various
journeys, both real and metaphorical,
I have crossed the trail of friendship,
and its thrills and pains. To those
who have shared the ride with me,
thanks for taking the risk. I hope you
found the trip as worthwhile as I
have.
Some of my adventures have been
less than entertaining, but ultimately
beneficial. I have encountered, and
have been able to challenge, the evils
of racism, sexism, and homophobia,
and without The Daily as my guide, I
could not have arrived at this des-
tination in the condition I am in.
This leg of the journey has also
opened some unpleasant caverns in
human behavior. Somewhere I stum-
bled over intolerance, self-righteous-
ness, disrespect, contempt, and plain
hatred. You have to expect to some-
times wade through puddles of mud if
you're looking to frolic through
fields of flowers.
A few years from now, this grand
tour will have faded into a few vivid
memories and many hazy ones. I'll
need my photo albums and other as-
sorted mementos to remind me of
this journey. I hope to keep in touch
with as many of my fellow travellers
as possible once we all go on our
separate routes, because my travel-
ling companions are the most vital
part of my experiences. But I know
some will wander off, leaving me
with just their memories. Those
thoughts will be nice, in a sen-
timental, if less than fulfilling, way.
Please remain seated until we came
to a complete stop.
Pass the cap and gown, it's time
to get off.
I really don't remember what I
expected anymore; it might have
helped if I had written them down. I
didn't know that much about Michi-
gan, except that they were supposed
to lose football games (I'm from
Ohio, and I was an Ohio State fan,
but four years of Wolverine football
have cured me of that.)
It has been a journey of intellec-
tual growth. I've taken side trips
with some of the greatest and most
influential tour guides in the world. I
was so enthralled by my first visit to
growth has come from a place called
The Michigan Daily. The events I
have covered, the stories I have writ-
ten, the people I have met, will leave
impressions with me long after I
walk out the door of the Student
Publications Building for the last
time.
This was not something I had ex-
pected when I first arrived in Ann
Arbor. I had never heard of The
Michigan Daily (except in The Big
Chill) until I got to campus. I knew
Michigan was a big place, and com-
The Universityof MIChigan
Inancial
Aid
FALL & WINTER 1989090
APPLICATION DEADLINE
MONDAY, APRIL 17, 1989
Look for these cer-
tificates in your fa-
vorite
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and
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results
14th's
in April
Weekend
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submit complete application materials by the priority deadline. A complete application consists of a
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parental copies of the 1988 Federal income tax returens, and other documents if requested. The Office
of Financial Aid must have a complete application by:
MONDAY, APRIL 17,1989
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Perkins Loan (formerly NDSL), and Stafford Loan (GSL).
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