GNA CAMPUS – As we mature and grow towards adulthood, we crave nostalgia from simpler times.

The memories we create during our childhood set the foundation of our personalities and our interests. For the graduating class of 2021, they are saying farewell to their high school teachers, friends, and childhood. While saying goodbye is difficult, remembering our past helps us understand how far we have come. It allows us to realize how much we have learned and provides us the opportunity to thank the great people we have met.

So, we ask ourselves, What was the world like when these young adults were just 5-6 years old and starting kindergarten? To find out, let’s travel to the past and examine the time period of 2008-2009.

Kindergarten began in the middle of the Great Recession, a time of declined economic activity due to a Wall Street market crash. In January 2009, The United States welcomed Barack Obama into the White House as the 44th President. The average prices of items were as followed: a gallon of gas $3.27, a loaf of bread $1.37, a gallon of milk $5.00, and one dozen grade A large eggs $2.59.

In 2008-2009, you could visit the most prominent children’s store, Toys R Us, and choose from their large variety of toys and crafts. At the time, the popular toys for girls were Zhu Zhu Pets and Littlest Pet Shop. The popular toys for boys were Transformers figures and Bakugan sets.

After your shopping spree, you could go to movie theaters to view the new releases such as The Dark Knight, Wall-E, Coraline, and Up. Once the films were made digital, you could even purchase your own CD copy from your local Blockbuster store.

On your ride home, the car stereo played the top hits such as “Hot n Cold” by Katy Perry, “Low” (feat. T-Pain) by Flo Rida, “Viva la Vida” by Coldplay, and “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus. You text your friends about your wonderful day out in town on your brand new iPhone 3G. 

While dinner is prepared, you turn on your game system, whether that be the Playstation 3 or Xbox 360. It is hard to choose the perfect game from your collection with the most recent additions being: Fallout 3, GTA IV, Left 4 Dead, COD Modern Warfare 2, Borderlands, and The Sims 3.

At the end of the day, you can relax by watching your favorite television shows. For children, the popular shows were Big Time Rush, Zoey 101, and Total Drama Island. For Adults, the popular series were Breaking Bad, Sons of Anarchy, and 90210.