Everyone expects me to be nervous, but I’m not.
In two days, I leave my home in suburban Philadelphia for a week long leadership training course with 150 other teens in San Francisco. After that, we break into four groups to fly to our respective future homes for the next 8 months. In my case, I’m heading to Ecuador.
I’ve never been to Ecuador or anywhere in South America before. To be honest, I’m not even very familiar with the culture of Ecuador. Because I already speak Spanish and I have an interest in endangered languages, I’ve specifically requested to be placed in a family that speaks Kichwa, of which I know nothing. I don’t yet know what city or town I’ll be living in, who my host family is, or what apprenticeship I’ll be doing. The only thing I know for sure is that I’ll have a roof over my head and food in my stomach.
Perhaps it’s because I’ve already lived abroad and spent 10 months away from my family my junior year, or perhaps it’s because I lack some innate sense of rationality, but I’m entirely at peace.
I trust that the team at Global Citizen Year will provide me with training to equip me for challenges that I will certainly face in Ecuador. I trust that they will place me with a family and apprenticeship that complements me. Most importantly, I trust myself. I know that I have the determination, passion, and grit to make the most out of my time in Ecuador.
Besos, much’akuna, kisses,
Anna Sophie
