So here it is. My first blog! Small as it may be, I'm very excited. As a Missouri J-school student and writer it's well overdue. I have been wanting an outlet to share this incredible transformation and personal growth I have been going through lately, and my trip to Buenos Aires is the perfect time to start. And what's better? I get to post this blog on a study abroad site as part of a follow-up project for being a Gilman scholarship recipient. I hope that from my experience, students can see how important it is to learn about cultures other than our own and spend time outside of our comfort zone. Even though I'll be in a different country, I hope followers will relate to the challenges I might encounter. Most importantly, I want to have a written documentation of my thoughts and feelings during the trip so I can really reflect on the experience once I return to the States.
I'm not really sure how formal this blog will be since it's for school, so it might take a few posts to really settle into my writing style. I appreciate your patience. : )
Anyways, my first and favorite high school Spanish teacher said, "El que sabe todo, sabe que el no sabe nada." He who knows everything, knows that he knows nothing. And that pretty much sums up my mindset facing this trip. I see myself as an infinitely small speck of the universe and can't wait to learn about as much of it as I can. I have been clearing my mind preparing to be a sponge, soaking up everything around me. I am still in the process of a huge personal renovation which began last summer. I feel like I know what it means to know true happiness and that it comes with meditating on the things you want, being grateful for the things you have, and always radiating positivity. Think. Feel. Receive.
I say this because our advisors have said numerous times that people who actively search out an amazing experience while abroad, those who consciously immerse themselves in the culture, report having better trips and learned more. I have been meditating on my success while in Buenos Aires in detail, thinking and feeling positively because you get what you give-period. I want to be ready to take advantage of any opportunity that comes my way or gracefully overcome any challenge presented to me. Any free time I get, I spend researching everything there is to know about Buenos Aires and Argentina: history, fashion, music, culture, food, customs, you name it. I have been listening to mostly Spanish music because it helps me with the language. I have been reading every travel guide I can find to know about the best restaurants, clubs, shopping, and places to travel. Being a nature freak, even more than living an exciting, vibrant new city, I'm thrilled to see waterfalls, mountains, jungles, desert, ALL of the amazing geography Argentina has to offer. The earth is such a beautiful, intricate body and I will get to experience first hand more than I could have ever dreamed growing up in Jefferson City, Missouri.
I truly appreciate you taking time to read and follow my thoughts and hope to keep things interesting! : )
"Nothing comes from without. All things come from within."
