The incredible start to a memorable journey
This whole summer between Ecuador and Jordan has been exhausting, fun, confusing, culture-shocking, exhilarating, and with many unexpected ups and downs. I was terrified of going to Jordan, being spectacularly bad at Arabic, being dragged into a spiral by teaching again, and being surrounded by the same simple-pleasure and ego-stroking people that went on the WT program to Ecuador. It was quite the weight to be carrying around silently on my shoulders.
After a quick reprise with the family in WI and MI, Casie's awesome whitewater rafting bachelorette party, and a tremendous week recovering the bits and pieces I left of myself in Syracuse (Brett, Glenn, and Ryan), I could finally lay those doubts aside. Fulbright orientation for the Middle East, though not very informative, was an opportunity to meet all the bright and shining people who I will have the pleasure to work with. They were dedicated, brilliant, perceptive, frank, and genuine. I couldn't wait to start.
4th of July with Ethan and the weekend with my brother and Brooke left me pretty exhausted once I got home to help with packing for the annual family camping expedition to Colwell lake. More confusion, some northern lights, and several days of waterskiing later, I got my wisdom teeth out. It was nightmarish. Good riddance.
But my sedentary nature of those three+ weeks left me watching How I Met Your Mother and many Dreamworks films, studying Arabic, making my first attempts at scrapbooking, and picnicking in the Caving Grounds. For all that I dragged myself out of bed every morning, I had a hundred reasons to stay up late into the night.
After a well-timed visit from Belant, I had a long drive and a weekend in the Twin Cities, a lunchtime in Madison with my rascal of an uncle, and a evening/morning with my favorite cousin. Among the many blessings of chance that I've had this summer, the easiest one to point to is rediscovering my best-friendship with my cousin Holly. It's still astounding to me that we're so compatible/similar even after the years of drifting apart. I sometimes wonder how we have only 25% of our genes in common.
Many days of driving - now on the bus to Chicago. My train trip has changed a few things in the way I view travel. I see a circuitous route that falls together as a chance to visit friends. Surprisingly, they still are excited to see me. It reinforces the whole dream-big, carpe diem, people-are-the-best-thing-you-can-invest-in mentality that is miraculously intact after a decade.
After a quick reprise with the family in WI and MI, Casie's awesome whitewater rafting bachelorette party, and a tremendous week recovering the bits and pieces I left of myself in Syracuse (Brett, Glenn, and Ryan), I could finally lay those doubts aside. Fulbright orientation for the Middle East, though not very informative, was an opportunity to meet all the bright and shining people who I will have the pleasure to work with. They were dedicated, brilliant, perceptive, frank, and genuine. I couldn't wait to start.
4th of July with Ethan and the weekend with my brother and Brooke left me pretty exhausted once I got home to help with packing for the annual family camping expedition to Colwell lake. More confusion, some northern lights, and several days of waterskiing later, I got my wisdom teeth out. It was nightmarish. Good riddance.
But my sedentary nature of those three+ weeks left me watching How I Met Your Mother and many Dreamworks films, studying Arabic, making my first attempts at scrapbooking, and picnicking in the Caving Grounds. For all that I dragged myself out of bed every morning, I had a hundred reasons to stay up late into the night.
After a well-timed visit from Belant, I had a long drive and a weekend in the Twin Cities, a lunchtime in Madison with my rascal of an uncle, and a evening/morning with my favorite cousin. Among the many blessings of chance that I've had this summer, the easiest one to point to is rediscovering my best-friendship with my cousin Holly. It's still astounding to me that we're so compatible/similar even after the years of drifting apart. I sometimes wonder how we have only 25% of our genes in common.
Many days of driving - now on the bus to Chicago. My train trip has changed a few things in the way I view travel. I see a circuitous route that falls together as a chance to visit friends. Surprisingly, they still are excited to see me. It reinforces the whole dream-big, carpe diem, people-are-the-best-thing-you-can-invest-in mentality that is miraculously intact after a decade.