Annie Palmer

On my eighteenth birthday, I drove into the busy city of Atlanta with all the windows down, wind and sun caressing my face. It was a beautiful spring day, March 25 to be exact, and I was full of excitement and nerves as I flew down the highway signing (well, screaming) along to the radio. I was on my way to get my first tattoo, and after years of planning for this, I couldn’t believe it was finally happening. Flash forward to six o’clock and I’m standing in front of a mirror in the tattoo parlor flexing my bicep and grinning ear-to-ear. There it was, a simple outline of a wave, a mountain, and a city skyline all connected. When people ask me the significance of my tattoo, I still flash the same ear-to-ear grin as I explain, “I love to travel and want to see everything the world has to offer.” This image is a perfect reflection of who I am: simple, yet original. To those that walk past me everyday on campus, I appear to be a typical white UGA girl: wearing an oversized t-shirt with my sorority letters and coffee in hand. However, when people see my arm and ask me about my tattoo, their eyes always light up as they realize I’m far from the “typical” girl on campus. I am full of wonder, and love to be around people and places that make me feel “alive” and full of inspiration. Being a perfectionist, it is quite significant that I believe my tattoo is flawless. I even studied my fresh ink for about a week to make sure it was exactly how I wanted it. However, I love it and I could not be happier to have it as a part of me forever.