My Tribute to ADVANCE

ADVANCE is among the many summer programs offered to students, ages 7-12, for three weeks. Students study the subject of their choice, all day, six days a week. The Program uses the Louisiana School campus in Natchitoches, LA. Not only do they complete one academic course, but they have a chance to make life-long friends.

Note here, ADVANCE only offers the opportunity to become a more confident person through lasting friendships. Contrary to popular ADVANCE mythology, not everyone leaves forever changed for the better, cherishing those precious three weeks and holding on to long distance relationships like a life-line. I truly believe this capacity to cause spiritual growth is not particular to this program, but is a result of spending all day, every day will a group of strange people. The nature of summer programs allows people to step away from all social expectations and, hopefully, learn to be themselves. If a student seizes the opportunity, he or she can learn from any experience. ADVANCE is one such opportunity.

I feel neither more or less myself at any given time. However, at ADVANCE people can see me for myself, separate from the opinions formed any time from five to fifteen years ago. This freedom from social stereotypes allows me to feel closer to the average ADVANCEr than to people I've known for several years. For example, I cannot imagine ever feeling comfortable doing muscle poses on the deck at school, demanding, "Just how BUFF is HARI?"

In addition to the lack of preconceived notions, ADVANCE offers a choice of who I wish to deal with. You can hang out with a group of people for three weeks, have a wild passionate fling with some guy/girl, and then chose never to speak to any of them again. However, you can also meet the most amazing people and immediately decide to be friends for life. There are people at ADVANCE I never took note of, or simply didn't bother with for those three weeks. I very delibrately chose my friends because I knew I could get along with these people and feel comletely comfortable with them. The knowledge that I wasn't obligated to be nice to everyone made it easier to control my considerable temper.

Knowing other people have the exact same choices makes me that much happier that they chose to keep in touch with me, or at least hang out with me for three weeks one summer. If people at ADVANCE don't want to deal with me, they don't have to. I certainly did not remain a complete angel 24/7, so it's all the more amazing that the poor souls who dealt with my hissy-fits still talk to me. I can be sure that the people I talk to aren't merely putting up with me like people at school would be.

ADVANCE has given me stable friendships that I can trust. Long distance relationships of any kind require more trust, affection, and reassurance than local friendships. I often feel that, to keep these friends, I need to constantly remind them how much I love them and let them know they are in my thoughts. Likewise, I need and receive the same attention from them. Such friendships are the foundation of my emotional energy and confidence.