Santa Barbara

Isla Vista to be exact. Or also called IV. Ironic considering it definitely spreads like poison ivy. It grabs hold of you the minute you rub against it and walk through the city. Why? It's the college town every movie portrays, the place you always think of when you think frat party, and the atmosphere is contagious.

The first time I went to IV, I wasn't too surprised, but still felt slightly tainted at the sight of multiple college students walking down the street with cases of beer and guys smoking hookah in lawn chairs on their front yard.

My second trip to IV was a blast...except for the fact that I had to repeat myself time and time again why I didn't want to drink. You see, this was new to me. I go to Biola - a private Christian school with a Jesus mural to boot. Biola has a contract you are required to sign if you attend the university stating you will not drink while enrolled in a class. So I signed it, because I agree with it. And I want to uphold my integrity.

A weekend ago was my third trip to IV. I was not enrolled in classes at Biola and I am now 21. I entered upon IV knowing I had no excuses to not drink. And this time, IV was like poison. It was contagious. I understood why people loved it so much. Simply put, it was fun. Everything is in walking distance – great food, Starbucks, surf shops, the beach, campus, and the liquor stores. This is not to say I did not have fun my previous times in IV, however, there was a sense of freedom.

Freedom – that is the contagious ivy that holds you down and screams I can do anything. Did I do anything that would cause me to need that much freedom? No. But that’s not the point. The point is I could have. I finally saw what college students see in this city. The ability to be free, act like an adult, but not be responsible like one. IV is a place filled with people your age. You immediately are catered to. Everywhere you are, there is someone else standing next to you that is within the same age range. You are in. You belong. The problem with ivy – it poisons you. And in this case, it makes you think something completely false.

The freedom in IV is a false truth. There is a contagious smile that creeps across the student’s faces with the freedom, but the smile is hollow and empty. There is no gold at the bottom of the beer bottle or after sex with a person you met this very night. There is nothing to keep with you until you die except empty satisfaction or a guilt you may not forget. I think it may take years for some college kids to get this. And the fact is we may be adults, but we are still kids. We have freedom, but we are still learning. Ands that’s just it; IV is a learning ground, however, it is a dark one.

However, I believe there is light somewhere in that darkness. There are smiles that are whole. And there is truth within the lines of the fallacies as sun shines through a cracked door. And one day, it will shine brighter and clearer as more kids learn in the darkness and open the door to the light. That is my hope.