In wolof the word ndank ndank means “little by little”. This saying is going to be my motto for the year. I have a tendency to want to skip steps, not put in the hard work, but still want to get the desired out come. This year I plan on taking every thing in and trying to change myself and grow as a person little by little. I know that this year is going to present challenges and there will be times that I will want to go home, but I just need to keep reminding myself that little by little I will get more comfortable in my new surroundings. This motto is also to remind me to take the year in bit by bit, not to wish it away or take it for granted, but to realize that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. People keep asking me if I am scared for this year, but all I can say is “no because I don’t really know what to expect”. I have no expectations for the year, but I want to grow little by little into a better person and begin to truly understand the world around me. I have thought a lot about why I decided to take a bridge year and one of the biggest reasons is that I want to really understand how the majority of the world lives. I don’t think that our generation can be global leaders without understanding the problems that so many people in the world face. So, as I get ready for this year I am excited to learn more about the world and more about myself.
As I get ready for this new adventure I can’t help looking back on saying goodbyes to my friends from home. I never know what to say to my closet friends that I have spent that majority of my life with who I won’t see for the next eight months. I guess that there is no real good way to say goodbye, but I know that most of my friends are headed on to new adventures of their own. Goodbyes mean there is a new adventure to be had and a new beginning. Over the past year I have come to like goodbyes because even though they may be sad in the moment soon enough you will be on a whole new adventure. Saying goodbye to my friends at home means that I am headed off to this new incredible adventure where I will get to meet amazing people, see amazing things, and learn so much. Saying goodbye to my best friends mean that I have another adventure awaiting me to see them again and we will have new stories to tell one another.
