August 19, 2015
I have pondered for quite some time, the notion that someday I will travel far away from the place I have lived my entire life. I assure you, finding out where has been a long sought imaginative prowl.
Today I reach toward a newer and richer experience. Bringing a new light to my future education, personal growth, and ability to inspire change, all of which have been jumpstarted by Global Citizen Year- my today and my launching pad for tomorrow.
The truth of the matter is that what lies before me today is unlike anything I could have imagined in the past. This is a critical point in my life and my Global Citizen Year represents a looking-glass, through which my path to higher education has been transformed.
For the next 8 months I will be just one person in a particular place, however a place far different from what is familiar. This year will be about learning how to accept my positionality in the context of the greater world. By living on the line that wraps around our planet, serving as a geographical connection/hug to the rest of the world, where I can actively unite, celebrate and learn from the challenges and differences I encounter.
This long awaited departure is finally here, the impact and influence of those who have supported me leading up to this momentous journey across continents, will be my ultimate source of solace while I am away.
As the archaeologist Tamara Bray argues: Greater insights are gained by adopting a locally grounded perspective that sees Ecuador’s position as a crossroads not a as a limitation, but as a source of innovation.
I have so much to learn from Ecuador. From it’s people, it’s habitat, and it’s history.
Ecuador being the intersection of my educational, spiritual, and positional paths and the far-reaching consequences to follow, will be my ultimate source of innovation.
This journey is a necessary step towards understanding. Where I will gain a new perception of reality.
It has of course been a rather unexpected and at times terrifying emotional experience coming to terms with every thing I am leaving behind. But the changes I am bound to experience this year will make it all worthwhile.
The only thing I can be absolutely certain about this year is that there is no real way for me to prepare for what is to come or the challenges I will face upon my return. I am taking everything piece by piece, with positivity and the support of Global Citizen Year and my loved ones at home who are off to wonderful new beginnings and facing life’s challenges with the most beautiful of efforts.
It is now time for me to move forward and live in the present. My built up anticipation and excitement is finally coming to life, as I open this next chapter of my life.
I can hardly wait to share the beauty of what lies ahead with you all.
