On January 26, 2013, I was at a wedding with some of my mom’s best friends from childhood. I was talking to the brother of the groom, who was inquiring about my plans after I graduate. My plan was to go to college, but the truth is that I had no idea what I wanted to do or why. I was feeling lost and confused about my future direction. He told me about this bridge year program called Global Citizen Year. I had never considered anything other than college, but hearing about this idea of a “bridge year” from a Stanford graduate who has always been like a mentor to me opened up a whole new realm of possibility. It was in that moment that my future path changed. My curiosity was piqued and suddenly I felt inspired.
I am so excited to be going to Ecuador next year. I’m so excited for the opportunity to immerse myself into a new language, a new family, and a new culture – a whole new way of seeing and being in the world. I’m also scared. This is a really big step into the unknown. I’m not yet fluent in Spanish, but one thing I do know is that a smile, a laugh, a hug, a cry, and a twinkle in the eye are the same in any language. I’m ready to embrace the challenges and fly the coop. I’m also really looking forward to having that first stamp in my passport.
I will be sharing my travels as I go. Thank you for following my journey. I appreciate all of you, my family, my friends, my community.
And so the story begins.
