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Trading My Safety Net for a Mosquito Net

In January of 2011 my mom suggested out of the blue that I consider applying to a gap year program. With college applications so recently finished and my second semester starting out as lazy and carefree as I was always promised, I had no desire to start filling out yet another application, especially for a program I had no intention of considering. She asked me to at least attend an after-school informational meeting for Global Citizen Year. I probably rolled my eyes and said something snappy, but I went to the meeting nonetheless. Taking a gap year before college was never in my Life Plan. I have always had a succinct outline of how my life is going to line up: attend a good college on a coast, discover an unknown passion for a major that would filter me into a highly demanded line of work, and be happily on my way to a very fulfilling and comfortable life. This outline pleased me – I would always be near my friends, a phone call from home, and sailing as often as possible.

This first Global Citizen Year meeting caused me some stress – I drove home that evening with the realization that my Life Plan wasn’t so cemented after all. I realized then that I would forever regret not applying to this program that offered incredible opportunities that I wouldn’t find elsewhere. I began reading the 2010-2011 Fellow’s blogs, fell in love with their experiences and started my application immediately. By the time I submitted my application I had accepted that my Life Plan was being peeled away layer by layer – revealing what I truly need to do versus what I simply feel comfortable doing. I need to step out of my comfort zone of home and friends and safety and give myself the opportunity to overcome actual challenges. I need to do this alone – without the loving net of warmth and stability my parents will always provide. I clicked “Submit Application” while sitting on the couch with my mom, feeling utterly baffled by my actions.

When I was accepted as a Global Citizen Year Fellow I was certain that I absolutely had to take this leap. My previous Life Plan had shattered and is now a very large blank slate, ready to be written as I go. I haven’t even begun packing for Senegal yet, but I’ve already learned that life cannot be lived with succinct outlines and rigid opinions – you must be open to discomfort and the inevitability of changing plans. I am currently sitting in my room, still surrounded by this loving net of warmth and stability, but I have already started changing. I am ready to leave the net behind and write my own story without the influence of my society, in my own language without an outline or a rulebook. I am ready to postpone college and leave my family to tackle this challenge and hopefully give back to Senegal at least a fraction of what it has already begun to give to me.

Natalie Davidson

About Natalie Davidson


An accomplished sailor, Natalie has been captain of her high school sailing team for three years and coaches at a sailing camp in the summer. When she’s not on the water she enjoys drawing, painting, and ceramics. She also served as chair of the Health and Wellness committee on the San Francisco Youth Commission, and she loves spending time with her dogs.

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