Almost a year ago, I sat down after all my friends had left for their freshman year of college and created a blog, with no idea how well I'd be able to keep up. If you have a lot of half finished journals and art projects stowed away at home you'll know the feeling of starting something with good intentions and gradually drifting out of practice, which is what I was scared would happen.
Turns out, without school and sports and no job, there's a lot more time in the the world than I'd experienced before, so keeping up with one assignment every one or two weeks was manageable to say the least. Especially after getting the hang of that small detail called planning.
For the maybe-not-even-20-or-so people who were gracious enough to occasionally read up on the often out-of-sight out-of-mind girl waltzing around the world, thank you for your time and for keeping me honest. I hope the cessation of this blog for the time being isn't devastating. ;)
And so, what would a wrap up post be without the highlights, the lowlights, and the lessons learned? I'll piece them out; as inevitably the creative tangents in my brain must give way to ingrained writing structures.
In my opinion, a common misconception about traveling (maybe misconception is the wrong word) is that a person expects to leave as one being and come back completely transformed. I think the world is what changes around you, as a result of a perspective widened by exposure to a life not your own. From the discomfort you never had to feel or the extreme comfort you were never given, things are just different and you must see them as such. Even when I didn't know the language or societal norms and ethics, I could watch people's actions and become aware of the diverse world we're all sheltered from. Through meeting new people with maturity, patience, and understanding I could see the naiveté and prejudice in others who I've known for a long time. So, I learned to be gracious, grateful, and humble. I'll try never to take for granted where I grew up and how I was raised ever again, because of how many gifts I can see I've been given in comparison to others less fortunate. I know a lot of people hate the saying about finishing the food on your plate because some kid in Africa is going hungry, because that saying logically doesn't make sense to most. And I've come to see that most experiences in this world are relative, so, where a small container of sweetened yogurt was a rare dessert treat for me in New Zealand, is a wimpy breakfast before a busy day of classes and sports. I miss savoring the basic pleasures in a world now full of college students complaining that the line for French fries is too long. That is not to say that I don't love how easy college makes access to food and other resources. I've been thrown back into the mélange of luxuries college affords for a few years, after which I have a few more decisions to make:).
I may have written this already (a few times) but regret is the last word that comes to mind when thinking about my year off. Sure, my high school friends are a grade above me and my calculus skills are a little rusty right now... I'm trying to think of other aspects of the choice that are perceived as negative, but I can't. Which presents a very good question: why would anyone not want to take a gap year? For one thing, I can make an argument for anyone hoping to play varsity sports who is tentative to take a gap year because of fitness/skills reasons: first hand, it is possible with enough desire and dedication. I'm the kind of person who is completely content being grounded in one place, having a daily routine, driving the same route to work everyday. While in the same breath, I think I will never not have the travel bug. I'm already thinking about places I can go over winter break, spring break (Eastern Europe?!?), and for my IQP/term abroad through WPI. In which case, this place will be a good base to add to when those experiences roll around. And I guess my goal of becoming and environmental/civil engineer will mostly be work towards negating the amount of air miles I've put on already... what a contradictory thought.
Signing off, as our scrimmage starts soon,
LK
P.S. I will actually continue to use this blog as a place for creative writing (maybe in the random section), but who knows how often that will happen at a tech school playing a sport..
