In 2013, I arrived at USC. At that time, I was a computer science major. Taking classes, passing some, failing some, barely scraping by some. Long story short, I understood that having computer science as my major was a means to and end of a high salary. A way of becoming financially stable. Also, software engineers are considered the rockstars of our generation. They create code, which powers a complex system of cash printing entities. The career is definitely lucrative but not without its faults. After realizing computer science was not for me, I had to figure out what was. I had no idea. For one semester I took a lot of general ed classes. Those classes that don’t really matter but are necessary for graduation. A necessary evil as some may say.
During this semester, I began reading. Interestingly enough, one of the books I read was a book required for one of my general ed courses. This spurred my love for reading. For one small moment, I thought, maybe I can become an English major. Somehow I can study something that involves my love for reading and writing and just maybe someday make a living that I would be comfortable with. I remember telling my friends that I was switching my major to English. It was not well received. To them, it felt like I was giving up. Throwing in the towel. I mean, we had been in the bunks together. Late into the night scourging the internet for answers to the questions that were due the next day. I understood how they felt but I also understood that I might have a chance at studying something I actually enjoyed and that was good enough for me. So, I switched.
I had to preface my academic background above because after I switched my major. One of the first books I had to read for my new degree was The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. I remember getting up early in the morning and heading to the campus store, grabbing a cup of coffee, and sitting with this book that I had to read. I told myself, if I read for 15 minutes a day I can probably finish the book within a week or two. I finished the book in two days and spent the next two weeks fawning this book that I had not known at the time was a Pulitzer Prize winner. This was my introduction to English as a major, my love for the arts, and as an extension, Ernest Hemingway. His writing style is captivating. His use of words and his sentence structure is unique. Last weekend, I stood in the room where he was born. I walked the same halls he walked as a child. The same views he had, I had. The tour guide mentioned that the Hemingways loved telling stories. They would sit around the breakfast table and while having pancakes and eggs create fictional stories for the children to enjoy. One could make the claim that here is where Ernest’s creativity was born. Here is where a star was born. The experience was ethereal. The tour guide also explained in detail so much about his life. The things he went through—most interestingly his four marriages—and how his life came to an unfortunate end.
I credit my love of writing to Ernest. I credit my love of a good story to him as well. His love for life, resonates heavily with me. His love for travel is contagious. While I’m careful not to romanticize everything about an individual because we all have our faults, the effect of his life and writing has shaped not only my academic path but how I choose to live my life.
This summer, I plan to spend more of my time reading and writing short stories. I hope to spend a few weekends traveling to Oak Park, Illinois to the Hemingway District. I have no expectations. Just a summer of creativity. With that being said, I hope to post one of my short stories here. I don’t know if any of them will be any good but I’ve already decided to take a Salinger-esqe approach to this. For the love, not the publicity.
Thanks for reading,
Daviel