University of Central Florida STARS HIM 1990-2015 2014 Orange Blossoms Edward Montalvo University of Central Florida Part of the Nonfiction Commons Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/honorstheses1990-2015 University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu This Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in HIM 1990-2015 by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Recommended Citation Montalvo, Edward, "Orange Blossoms" (2014). HIM 1990-2015. 1801. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/honorstheses1990-2015/1801 ORANGE BLOSSOMS by EDWARD MONTALVO A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Honors in the Major Program in English–Creative Writing in the College of Arts and Humanities and in The Burnett Honors College at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Spring Term 2013 Thesis Chair: Dr. Lisa Roney ABSTRACT I miss the smell of orange blossoms, which used to flood the countryside. But as a city grows, the land surrounding it dies. You cannot roll down your windows anymore and smell the sweet scent dancing off the buds. You will however find impressive theme parks, factory-style chain stores and restaurants. If you look close enough, you’ll also see disgruntled souls of a once naturally spectacular culture of people. Laid back like the sands of Florida’s coast. But now there are bills, traffic, and IKEA. This collection of essays is an attempt to escape such an experience. To explain such an existence, and to explore an eschewal from the inevitable, retail therapy.