Though my last blog post ended a long time ago on a bit of a cliffhanger (stuck in Quito with Rachel and Anna), allow me to remind everyone that I did, in fact, make it back to America, after a satisfying detour to Costa Rica. Everything since I got back in August sort of ran together; with school, work, and helping with the Honors College occupying my time, the semester turned into one long string of alternating fun and stress.
Not that I'm complaining. I've seen myself at both my laziest and most productive, my happiest and (almost) my most depressed. But the help of my family at home and friends--old and new--at school has helped to make it a time I won't forget.
Right now most of it feels like just one long lead-up to my newest path, though: my spring abroad in the Dominican Republic. My hopes? Becoming as fluent as possible in Spanish, becoming close to my Dominican family and making new friends, learning the value of a different kind of life. Expectations? About the same, minus the optimism of fluency. At any rate, though, I can take solace that I'm bound to get at least a little better with the language, especially if I go the harder route and actually try to immerse myself in the culture (and don't cloister myself with other exchange students).
I'm guessing I'll probably end up somewhere in between what I want and what my realism/skepticism/pessimism thinks. What I'm sure of, though, is that this is going to be a time that will stick with me, probably change me in ways I won't be able to predict, and if I'm being honest, I could do with a few changes. Ready for a brand new start, and here's hoping I'm ready to take it!
Cualquier destino, por largo y complicado que sea, consta en realidad de un solo momento: el momento en que el hombre sabe para siempre quién es. -Jorge Luis Borges
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