Texas adventure ends with memories, but no cowboy
By Kristina Iodice
Skiff Staff

Let me tell you a story. A story about a California girl who had this crazy idea in her head to travel half way across the country to become a Horned Frog.

As far as I was concerned, it was an adventure I wasn’t willing to miss.
As far as my family was concerned, it was only a temporary relocation.
As far as my close friends were concerned, I was traveling to another country. A country stocked with trucks, gun racks, cowboys and cattle. Home may be where the heart is, but I wanted to make sure I stayed a Californian.

At least, I thought I did. A lot can happen in four years, and a lot can change.

I’ve stayed up all night studying astronomy and then celebrated the grade I earned. I’ve typed more words than I care to count for English classes and journalism assignments. Of course, there have been tough times. There have been tests I should have studied harder for and essays I should have spent more time on. Postponing procrastination would not have hurt either.

I’ve also stayed up all night laughing with friends, playing crazy games like Taboo or watching movies. I’ve walked in the dinosaur tracks in Glen Rose. I rode the Ferris wheel at the Texas State Fair. I cheered for the bull riders at the rodeo, but more often I cheered on the Frogs in football or basketball or something else altogether. I wandered the stalls at the Fort Worth Stock Show. I’ve accepted that Tex-Mex dining is something all its own and that belt buckles are meant to be seen. I’ve walked the cobblestones of Cowtown and have learned to love country music.

In just over two weeks I’ll be walking across a stage to receive my bachelor of arts degree after four years on a campus and in the state that has become home. Wherever my future takes me, I will carry the wildness, friendliness and tradition of TCU and the Lone Star State with me.

I have a lot of purple in my wardrobe, and I can talk Horned Frog football with the best of them. My friends catch me saying “y’all” on a regular basis, and I have my own pair of black Justin ropers, not to mention a great western hat. And, of course, I’m a veteran two-stepper (however, I’m still waiting for a dancing cowboy to sweep me off my feet).

I’ve accomplished a lot in my four years on campus. I’ve had opportunities and experiences I never would have had otherwise. After all, not every college journalist can say she interviewed a Noble Peace Prize laureate or attended a presidential media conference. And not every Californian has experienced her share of earthquakes and tornados.

I occasionally wonder what would have happened had I stayed in California, yet I would not trade my time here at TCU for anything in the world. It sounds like a cliché, but college really can be the best years of your life.

But in the end, you make your years — and your life — the way you want them to be.

Oh, and if there is someone out there who can dance, and would like to meet a California girl and honorary Texan, you know how to reach me.

Kristina Iodice is a senior news-editorial journalism and English major from Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. She can be contacted at (k.k.iodice@student.tcu.edu).

credits

TCU Daily Skiff © 2002