"You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out." Deut. 28:6
Whenever I have a lot on my mind, I try my best to condense my thoughts into a simple list.
Currently:
1. I have never seen the Pacific Ocean, and yet I am days away from moving to Tokyo, Japan.
2. I have never lived in a country in which I was neither fluent nor proficient in the main language.
3. After this term, I won't be back on campus until September 2017 (#17FinallyBack).
4. I need to find a way to stream Season 3 of 'Jane the Virgin' internationally. Send help!
5. I wonder what will happen once I leave; what a year away will make me into and take me out of, what kind of friends I will make, and what of the friends I will lose?
Instead of answering those questions, I have made a list of things to remember while I am away, a list I hope will help you if you as well find yourself trying to digest the fact that you will be away for so long.
1. Dartmouth/ your respective institution, socially, is just a place. Instead of feeling major FOMO that you aren't at ____ Formal, make your own experience that night, because ultimately, that experience is also a fundamental part of your college years.
2. Don't force yourself to become "a new person." Think through of your time in college so far, and choose an area you would like to improve in/pay more attention to. You'll see that that decision could slowly bleed into different parts of your life, and slowly change you.
3. You will "lose" friends. While that sounds a bit harsh, and usually is met with the "Maybe you guys weren't friends to begin with", I pray it won't be as devastating as many make it to be. You won't be able to keep in contact with everyone, and relationships that are not nurtured may disappear. This doesn't mean that when you come back, you can't pick pup where you left off, but you must mentally prepare yourself for a closed door.
4. But on that note, make an effort to keep in contact with your friends! Devise a way to stay in contact with them, perhaps reaching out to them before you leave to see how best to keep the friendship going.
5. Don't be afraid to try new things. As for me, I will be tackling the notion that POC's shouldn't have pastel-colored hair.
6. Hold on to what is important for you, so that you don't feel so lost. For me, one of the first things I did was ask around to see what churches my friends from Japan recommended.
Ultimately, recognize that your time away can help you grow as much as you let it. Be bold. Experience. Love. Lose. And be.
Bon voyage!
