Only a month left until I board the plane to South Africa! It's becoming really hard to focus on school and I can't even begin to imagine the lack of focus I'll have during finals week. We had our last pre-departure meeting on Saturday and I think it was a well needed six hours spent together. I have a really good feeling about all of the people taking this course with me. Everyone seemed to mesh very well and I can tell we are going to have a lot of fun! We all expressed worries and excitements on Saturday that really got me thinking about this experience. Why be nervous or anxious? All the classes I've been taking have been teaching me to step outside of the comfort zone, so why am I fearing it so much? I finally convinced myself not to!
Right now I'm in a state of mind that is allowing me to be completely open minded. The idea of having no growth in the comfort zone and no comfort in the growth zone has been a way that I've wanted to live my life but I always gave myself the excuse that I didn't have opportunities to step outside of the comfort zone. No more excuses for me and definitely NO excuses while I'm in Cape Town. The only worry I currently have about the trip is packing which seems pretty superficial to me. But I really have no idea what to pack and I also have no idea what to buy my host family. I figure that if these are my only current worries I'm in a good place. Two weeks ago I was having nervous break downs every other day and now I've finally realized that there's nothing worth worrying about because this is an opportunity of a lifetime.
My wonderful friend, Anna, just asked me what I'll miss the most while I'm gone. This is a great question. My mom would want me to say that I'll miss her, which I will, but besides people what will I miss? I know I will miss my cell phone the least because I feel like this is what causes much of my lack of attentiveness right now. Having access to texting, Facebook, email, and internet on my phone allows for too many possibilities of being contacted and I feel I rarely have a moment to myself. I think I'll be much more present during my days spent in South Africa for the sole reason that technology will be eliminated from my everyday use.
But...I should probably start studying for my spanish exam that I have tomorrow :( Sorry about the choppy, random thoughts that went into this (very distracted right now)! No more daydreaming for this girl!
Thanks for blogging!
Brittany
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
And the journey begins....
First of all, I'd like to thank Matt Miller for my blog name because I'm not creative and needed some assistance with a clever name! A little over 6 weeks until I embark on my journey to South Africa. Words can't even express the emotions and feelings I am experiencing with the departure date quickly approaching. A lot of anxiety around packing, traveling, and money, but A LOT of excitement about the new culture and communities I'm going to have the privilege of experiencing.
I never thought I'd be going to a place like South Africa but the more I reflect on my decision of this opportunity the more I realize this exactly what I need to do. The main goal I have for myself through this course is to broaden my perspective on global issues. I feel I often become consumed with the petty stresses of a college student and I forget about the real struggles that many face on a daily basis. I get butterflies in my stomach each time I think about how fast May 22nd is approaching because it's still not quite a reality to me yet.
This isn't going to be the most insightful blog but I do hope that whoever reads this will appreciate and learn a little from my experiences. I don't anticipate to understand everything that I see or encounter while I'm in South Africa but I hope that this blog will be a place for me to sort through the confusing or challenging things I see during this course. My biggest fear about going to South Africa is that I won't be completely present in every moment and that I won't appreciate everything that is being offered. I don't want to just be in South Africa, I want to participate in everything possible.
Well, I think this is the end of my first post because I can't stop thinking about the other 174 things on my to-do list right now (many of those things are for South Africa!). Can't wait to continue with this and thanks for reading!
Glad we could blog together,
Brittany
I never thought I'd be going to a place like South Africa but the more I reflect on my decision of this opportunity the more I realize this exactly what I need to do. The main goal I have for myself through this course is to broaden my perspective on global issues. I feel I often become consumed with the petty stresses of a college student and I forget about the real struggles that many face on a daily basis. I get butterflies in my stomach each time I think about how fast May 22nd is approaching because it's still not quite a reality to me yet.
This isn't going to be the most insightful blog but I do hope that whoever reads this will appreciate and learn a little from my experiences. I don't anticipate to understand everything that I see or encounter while I'm in South Africa but I hope that this blog will be a place for me to sort through the confusing or challenging things I see during this course. My biggest fear about going to South Africa is that I won't be completely present in every moment and that I won't appreciate everything that is being offered. I don't want to just be in South Africa, I want to participate in everything possible.
Well, I think this is the end of my first post because I can't stop thinking about the other 174 things on my to-do list right now (many of those things are for South Africa!). Can't wait to continue with this and thanks for reading!
Glad we could blog together,
Brittany
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