Established in 1941 under the sponsorship and direction of the American Legion Auxiliary Department of West Virginia, Rhododendron Girls State is a premier experiential hands-on program that focuses on citizenship and patriotism, and develops leadership and pride in American citizens, educates citizens about our system of government, instills a greater understanding of American traditions, and stimulates a desire to maintain democratic government processes within our republic.
She originally planned on driving there by herself but we convinced her that we wanted to go with her and accompany her because it was our first time not having her for a week without us or anyone that we know whose going to be with her. I am glad she agreed because I didn't know the main reason why then but I felt that she was going through some sort of an emotional issue. I won't delve into that in this post, but write another article for it.
Anyway, she wasn't sure about this event. I think she was anxious of meeting new people.
My daughter is like me, she isn't much into sharing story about personal issues so she didn't bring any military stuff that she could share (which was one of the activities they have to do). Again, emotionally, she wasn't invested in this event.
We helped her registered and settled in to her dorm before we left.
We told her that this is an avenue to overcome some of her anxiety issues in meeting and dealing with other people.
I gotta admit, I was more anxious of leaving her there lol. I just prayed that she would have a great time and that she would make friends with the other girls.
Our daughter is an introvert just like me so she hoped that she would get a room by herself. She told us later that night that her roommate did not show up so she was happy.
We hangout a little bit after she got settled in and then we left.
The event was held at Davis and Elkins College.
We have been to Elkins few years ago when we had our little road trip to show support to another West Virginia history bowl team from our kids school. We didn't know that we would be back again here but glad to see it again.
The view from my daughter's room was beautiful.
This was our first taste of separation anxiety. It's getting real everyday. I am glad that she is slowly spreading her wings but as a parent I also worry. I know that she will be alright on her own because she is very independent and mentally strong. This senior year is flying by so fast and its giving me severe anxiety. She will graduate here soon and will be on her own to find her own path in life.
