I’m sure you’ve all heard me talk about Ecuador and Global Citizen Year, and if you haven’t then you’ve probably seen it somewhere on my Twitter and Facebook. Today I’m really going. My past eight days have been spent with and amazing cohort of my new friends, while learning from an incredible group of staff, speakers, and alumni. I didn’t really have any idea of what Pre-Departure Training would entail, but it turned out to be one of the most educational and inspirational weeks of my life. In a global diversity workshop I learned it is best to be curious instead of judgmental. In a meditation and mindfulness exercise I practiced finding the quiet within myself, that I can now turn to when my life feels hectic. Each speaker and every session I participated in this week was intensive and impactful. Global Citizen Year has really thought of it all when it comes to preparing fellows for undertaking their gap year experience
What makes this past week even more interesting is that I have been preparing to be unprepared. So much of what I’ve learned has been about acceptance, and “going with the flow”. There are going to be many challenges that I may not have the perfect solution for, but what Pre-Departure Training has given me is an understanding that this can be one of the most formative experiences of my life, if I make it formative.
On our first day of PDT Alexander, one of the India Team Leaders, imparted upon the cohort his “secret to happiness”. The three conditions, to finding happiness he says, are to 1) Say yes 2) Forge on 3) Follow your bliss. These three simple things resonated greatly with me, and I hope they will help me find happiness when I am so far from home.
I’d like to thank all of you who are currently subscribed, and those who have donated to my fundraising campaign! I still need about five hundred dollars more, so if you’re feeling particularly generous it would mean so much to throw me just a few bucks…
I’m not sure how often I’ll be posting, but hopefully often, so stay tuned for My Adventure 🙂
