I've spent the past eighteen years of my life pretty typically. I received an old fashion, public, K-12 education. I strove to be above average in a system of standardized ideals, eventually settling for what was expected of me: pass the class and meet the benchmark. As high school came to a close I found myself searching for more than what was not just offered but what was again, expected. I had no doubt that I would attend an accredited University, but I felt the desire to do something a little more drastic first.
I came upon the idea of taking a gap year while on Pinterest late one night in January. I quickly became consumed in the idea, and found myself submitting an application to Thinking Beyond Borders (http://thinkingbeyondborders.org/). This particular program was appealing to me for two reasons. The array of study we would be exposed to was broad, and I would have the excuse to travel. After weeks of praying, answering questions, trying to make myself sound qualified, and hoping for what I had become ultimately obsessed with, I was accepted into the program a few weeks before graduation.
The months to follow would be, and still are, some of the most stressful I have ever experienced. Analyzing my feelings and actions since May I seem to have been in a whirlwind of emotion that is just now dying down. I am now a completely different person than I was the day of my high school graduation. This summer I have been carefree, and ultimately more reckless than anything. However, regret is no where on my mind. I have simply concluded that I am on the search for myself, and I am a tough one to find. I'm looking in six different countries for the next seven months, for crying out loud.
I came upon the idea of taking a gap year while on Pinterest late one night in January. I quickly became consumed in the idea, and found myself submitting an application to Thinking Beyond Borders (http://thinkingbeyondborders.org/). This particular program was appealing to me for two reasons. The array of study we would be exposed to was broad, and I would have the excuse to travel. After weeks of praying, answering questions, trying to make myself sound qualified, and hoping for what I had become ultimately obsessed with, I was accepted into the program a few weeks before graduation.
The months to follow would be, and still are, some of the most stressful I have ever experienced. Analyzing my feelings and actions since May I seem to have been in a whirlwind of emotion that is just now dying down. I am now a completely different person than I was the day of my high school graduation. This summer I have been carefree, and ultimately more reckless than anything. However, regret is no where on my mind. I have simply concluded that I am on the search for myself, and I am a tough one to find. I'm looking in six different countries for the next seven months, for crying out loud.
