Do you know your neighbor?- Mikaela Gatewood

I have the opportunity of sitting next to Andrew Hardy. Not because our last names happen to be next to each other, but because when I switched seats with Keanu, Mr. Logsdon didn't say anything. None the less, being able to sit next to Andrew makes this assignment infinitely easier. It's no secret that Andrew and I are dating, and have been for the past 9 months. I would safely say that he knows me best, and I hope I'm able to say the same about him. I don't think I could ever fully know or understand him, but I can give a pretty good description of what he's like.

He likes art, and almost all forms of it. You can tell this by listening to him talk about the hundreds of movies he's watched, seeing the countless amounts of books he has scattered around his house, or the simple fact that he has 7,000 songs on his iPod. He likes playing piano and guitar, and often times gets jittery (more so than he usually is) if he hasn't played one of the two in a couple days. He's a Quaker, and is fairly involved with it, as he travels around the country going to various events and meetings. I know that it's had a big impact on him and his morals as well as his thought processes. The friends that he's made there are his closest, and are most likely the ones he will remain in contact with for the rest of his life.

But even more than describing Andrew as being interested in art or being a Quaker, I would tell you that he's probably the most curious person I know. He's continuously trying to learn and experience new things. Whether it's spending hours on Wikipedia, looking up words, or researching various philosophical ideas, Andrew's constantly striving for a better understanding of the world around him. He has a whole list of places to go and things to do within his lifetime. Already he's had some pretty crazy experiences, many of which I know that I'll never live up to. But it's because of this curiosity, and more so its subsequent adventures, that he's generally more mature than most people I know. While I'm aware that Andrew can be loud and sometimes a little bit childish (as almost all 16 year olds can be), the way he approaches challenges in his life or his overall morals and beliefs is astonishingly grown up. I can truthfully say I've learned a lot from him, and have grown from our relationship. And even once high school's over I genuinely hope we stay in contact, as I'm sure he'll up to some pretty interesting stuff.