“How was it? How long were you there? Do you still talk to them?”
Among receiving and answering variations of those questions from family, friends, and colleagues, I’ve managed to keep myself very busy this summer! I’ve attained nine college units and registered for sixteen more, successfully learned to cook several dishes, reduced my caffeine consumption, failed my behind the wheel test once, managed to keep at least five dollars in my wallet at all times (although I remain unemployed), said goodbye to a friend as he went off to begin his gap year, put on two garage sales, broken my camera, watched six seasons of a television sitcom, and celebrated my nineteenth birthday. Not all are necessarily achievements, some can be considered failures, many are still a work in progress and few seem like they could compare to what I achieved during my Global Citizen Year but those are the things I’ve accomplished in my three months back.
The video below is a compilation of moments captured on a FlipCam from in-country orientation, monthly meetings, Guaí (my homestay placement), and my apprenticeship. Moreover, the following two minutes and ten seconds represent a journey of seven months, a resolution to making the most of what I’ve accomplished in the last fourteen weeks, and a reminder as to why I’ve committed to this new point of view for the rest of my life. Enjoy!
