Happy one month, World!

-
The 30th of September marks the end of the first month of my gap year. And what a month it has been.

But even before my year’s “official” start, I had already learned so much about the world and myself. Exempli gratia, let’s have a look at where in the world I have been blessed enough to be over the past few months:

June: Italy (Rome, Siena, Florence)
July: Mexico (Cancun, Chetumal, Tulum)
August: Canada (Vancouver, Victoria, Banff, Jasper)
September: Brazil (Brasilia, Amazonia . . .  Recife, Rio de Janeiro -- deo volente)

In addition, I am currently working at a job I’m in love with, reading an author I’m in love with, and living on a planet I’m in love with.

The decision to take a gap year was initially a challenging/controversial one, but after this first month, I can truly say, “no regrets.”

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bygones -- by Marina Keegan

-
Image
I had a dream the other night that I was checking my email. That dream sucks. And woke to woes of seniors writing love songs for tomorrow and Tomorrow and the melodies That flirt us forward, whispering the next thing and the next thing and  – so we beat on birds flocking south until we circle round and realize maybe maybe all that running wasn’t worth it. Maybe we should build a cabin. Or teach high school. Or use our hands. My palms are smooth as words – Weak with fashion and double spaces. I want everyone else’s club and job and class The grass I sleep in always browner than Than that around erasing dreams To sit and breathe because you Only bank for two years then it's over And twenty two is nothing new It’s just another chance to build For when we’re twenty three And twenty four And time begins to sell for more than Any 9 a.m. to never. We’re not stuck. That's the thing, we're not stuck. We owe no o
Read more

Day 97: I might steal your clothes and wear them if they fit me.

-
Image
After reading Sonnet 97, I finished writing the birthday gratitude messages I had started over the weekend. I then launched into a few hours of chores. Not the least exciting of these was the Psyche-like task of organizing our family's drawer containing a variety of small change from many different countries my dad visits for World Bank missions. FUN. Next, I sent a message to some of my blog followers, requesting that they help me to publicize a video I recorded with Melvin Taylor on Day 87 . As I explained in the email, we are trying to broaden our base of viewers, and are experimenting with the "magic of social media" to help in publicizing our work. So, I requested that these friends share our video on Facebook and/or Twitter to help spread the word -- and I'd love if you all would do the same! After lunch, I started to watch a cute Christmas flick -- All I Want for Christmas . It was relaxing to enjoy the innocence of the two protagonists, a charming lit
Read more

Din 227: “God took his time making you.”

-
Image
I awoke this morning to the sound of my students -- what could be better? We started today’s class with 15 minutes of Anapana (the first step of Vipassana meditation), which is designed to concentrate the mind. I have never seen meditators more still or focused than these children! After teaching them the technique, I told them we would be starting every class like this from now on. Meditation is a wonderful tool they can take with them wherever they go, and they are lucky to be starting at such a young age! As the class broke into groups and started practicing numbers for our upcoming Variety Show, I caught up with a few students. Vandna, a sophomore and our oldest student, was supposed to pick her academic stream (cf. major) a few weeks ago, but had been waiting for my return to consult me before making her final decision. She is most interested in commerce and dreams of holding a high position at a bank one day, but her family is advising her to take liberal arts, which has le
Read more