I studied abroad Fall of 06. For me, it was a blast. For my friend Monica, whom I met on the trip, it was not only a blast, it changed her life. Being in crazy town London for a mere 3 1/2 months took her out of her realm of comfort, dependence, and familiarity, and challenged her. Coming from a world where life was neatly planned, she had learned independence and ambition. She's now at Berkeley in grad school and I can see the ways this trip has impacted her. Basically, she grew. She learned. She changed.
Joanne is going to Thailand for work by herself. This girl has never been out of the country, let alone by herself! Right now, she depends on her small world--family, boyfriend, friends. She's a play-it-safe type of gal. This trip scares the bananas out of her. (Joanne, I love you, so I say this out of honest appreciation and to prove a point to my story.) But Thailand! Thailand will discover her identity. It will force her to be stronger than she thinks she can be, independent, bold, and risk-taking. Basically she'll grow. She'll learn. She'll change.
When I told Minna about Joanne's upcoming adventure, before I even said anything about the type of person she is, Minna said, "Oh man. This is awesome. Living in another country, it changes you." For Minna, studying abroad in France Spring 07, pushed her to the most extreme emotions she ever knew. This LA girl was forced to live in a new world while dealing with tears and heartache. Basically, she grew. Learned. Changed.
Then there's me. I grew up really quickly, very young, and feeling very aware of the world. I have spent the last 10 years striving to see more and do more because I was aware that I lived in a very small span of the universe. I'm aware, I observe, and I use that to shape my mentality, my life, my thoughts, beliefs, actions, and attitude.
What I'm trying to say is that since I was 12, I felt grown-up. Not to say that I haven't been challenged or that I haven't changed since then. But the foundation of who I am as a person, my identity, today was very set by the time I was 12. So for the past 10 years, I've also played it safe, played it smart.
So now New York. New York, this rite of passage of mine. Will I go through it and grow? Learn? Change?
