Revised Formal Term Paper 1

Karla Zabel

English 101

Dr. Sonia Apgar Begert                       

Formal Term Paper 1

1-31-13

And The Seventh Day Shall be Kept Holy

        I had attended religious schools in the past, but I was fourteen when I was sent away from home. I had a fight with my boyfriend and came home well after curfew. I remember my mom coming up behind me that night screaming, “That’s it! You’re out of here.” There was nothing more to say on the subject; her mind was made up. The very next day she was on the phone making arrangements that would change my life.

        I was on my way to a whole new existence, with a new school, new teachers, new friends and, oh so many new rules. It started with wardrobe. We had to go shopping for appropriate Seventh Day Adventist attire, not a uniform exactly, but it may as well have been. Girls’ shirts had to be at least fingertip in length and four fingers past the collarbone. No shorts or jeans were allowed and absolutely no form fitting pants. Skirts were permitted but had to be past the knee. There was absolutely no jewelry or makeup of any kind allowed. I can remember the tissue test well. If faculty had a suspicion that you may be wearing makeup, they would wipe your face with a white tissue to be sure. There were so many new rules to get used to.

        The day I arrived I was shown to my dorm room and introduced to my new roommate. I would now be living hours from home with a person I had never met. Each room had two twin beds, two desks, and a closet for sharing. You could basically draw a line down the center of the floor—hers and mine. There were 20 rooms in the girls’ dorm with a living room at one end of the hallway and a bathroom with five showers and stalls at the other end. We were completely cut off from the outside world. There was no radio, no television, not even a phone. What a change from the life I once had.

        A fundamental requirement that was announced right away was that worship was promptly from 6:00 to 7:30 every morning in our chapel, and we were expected to be there every day except Saturdays (we’ll talk about Saturdays later). Breakfast was 7:45 to 8:30 and consisted of artificial eggs, soy cheese, milk, and vegetarian sausage, bacon, or ham. Millet or oatmeal were also on the menu. 

I was exhausted after a very hard and confusing first day. That night as I lay in my bed in my new room at a rather bizarre school in a strange town, I slept soundly. At 4:30 the next morning when my alarm went off, I was ready to begin my new life. I forgot that it would not take me so long to get ready without a blow dryer or my makeup, but at least I didn’t have to wait for a shower. By 5:30 the halls were filled with the other girls wearing finger length shirts and long skirts. As they all filed past me preparing for the day, I was wishing I could hide. I wanted to run away, but where would I go? We were in the middle of nowhere and I missed my friends, my family, and everything I used to know.

               My mind was racing that first morning in worship. I felt so alone, but loneliness was interrupted at breakfast when I was introduced to Vickie. She was obviously raised a devout Seventh Day Adventist from birth and would become my go-to girl. Mentoring me was Vickie’s new chore. She was very good at explaining how things worked, my chores, my classes, who was who, and when to be where. Vicky was a plain looking girl but very nice and friendly. She was a senior who carried her bible everywhere and knew each page by heart. I grew to admire her loyalty and devotion, as she was the only friend I had, and I looked up to her.

               My first assigned daily chore was to mop our entire school building from one end to the other (someone must have gotten a promotion). After a tedious job that seemed to take forever, I was off to my classes. The curriculum was the everyday ordinary classes such as math, English, social studies, and science. It was nice that there were only fifteen students in each classroom but odd that boys were on one side and girls were on the other. I thought we all looked so funny in our peculiar clothes and no makeup. As I looked around the classroom, I thought to myself that I would never have been caught in the real world like this.

               Here is another example of a real world adjustment. I don’t think I ever got used to soy cheese and fake meat sandwiches for lunch. After school, we would play soccer or volley ball which sounds pretty normal, but this was Florida, where it is 100 degrees and we played in dress pants and long shirts. Then it was fake meat and soy cheese, and fried okra for dinner, I haven’t eaten okra since. After the evening meal, it was worship again from 6:00 to 7:30, then homework and off to bed. One day down, and another four years to go.

               I stopped setting my alarm for such an early time and woke instead to my roommate Valerie moving about the room. Valerie had shoulder length red wavy course hair and was covered with freckles. She was another devout Adventist who knew all of the rules forward and backward. Valerie, sadly, would later be known to me as the snitch. During my dash to the showers, Vicky continued her mentoring by introducing me to some of the other girls. Ronda, a teen model in the real world shared the similarity with me of not being at the academy of her own will. She became my best friend here and on the outside. Bonnie, become a great support. She was someone who watched out for me and kept me in line. We fondly nicknamed her Bon Bon. Cindy, another memorable cohort, was a senior who was always good at making us laugh. I definitely felt more comfortable with friends to count on. Even daily worship seemed more tolerable with Ronda passing me notes and Bonbon braiding my hair. I met Charles a big jock and another devoted Adventist. Life at the academy became more normal when I met Mike, a tall lanky blonde who became my boyfriend. Although we were forbidden from holding hands we enjoyed each other’s company. I started to realize that there were two types of students those who lived and breathed the Seventh Day Adventist life and those whose parents wanted to straighten them out.

      Now let’s talk about Sabbath. According to Adventists, the seventh day is Saturday and the seventh day shall be kept holy. On Saturday, we could sleep in because worship didn’t start until 8:00. Don’t get excited yet! It is an all day event, breaking only for soy cheese and mystery meats. The last Saturday of the month, of course, everyone fasted to cleanse the body. This entailed 24 hours with nothing to eat except water. Four years of this? Day after day, there was a routine of fake foods, continuous mopping, and endless worship. It astounded me that kids my age were choosing to live like this. As time went on, I began to respect them for their discipline.

        I wondered throughout my time at school whether I would make it. I found that this experience taught me patience, and showed me that I am capable of growing to the occasion, that I’m stronger than I ever thought I was, and most importantly, that I can survive with much less than I think I need. “Fake it ‘til you make it.” This strategy has served me well throughout the years. When I’m afraid of walking into a new situation like a meeting or a classroom, or, Heaven forbid, a presentation, this strategy works for me. I tell myself, “You’ve got this” or “Act as if…” I convinced myself of this throughout my experience at the academy and still do so today.

         I cannot imagine sending my children away from home and expecting them to live without the comforts we may all take for granted. Although I no longer consider myself Seventh Day Adventist, I do believe in the seventh day. The seventh day on my calendar is Saturday. The seventh day to me shall always be kept holy. Saturdays in my house are saved for worship and spending time with family. They are for remembering how lucky I am for the lessons that I learned along the way.