There are so many things to talk about; I’m really not sure where to begin. I applied for this trip several months ago, not really expecting much of it, but remaining hopeful. The main idea was to expand my horizons and try to step out of my bubble of familiarity, which I think it’s safe to say, I’ve done. Leading up to departure, it felt like others were more excited about this trip than I was, which is not to say I wasn’t, I just didn’t quite know what to expect. Now that I’m here, things still don’t feel much different. Don’t get me wrong, there are differences, but they’re subtle, and sometimes you don’t notice them right away. At times, I feel very much like a fish out of water, in more ways than one, but I suppose that isn’t always a bad thing. It’s all about stepping out of the bubble, right?

It’s a little sad to think about all of the people you befriend here and the moments you spend together, all the while knowing that eventually you’re going to go back to your life and they to theirs, more than likely never to be in each-others presence again. They’ll keep existing in their part of the world, and you in yours. But perhaps that’s all a part of life, eh? Making the connections with others, and enjoying what time you do get, whether that be with friends and family back home, or with those in another part of the world. It’s funny how easily we as humans tend to grow attached to people and things, whether it be your best friend, a spot you sit at in a makeshift classroom, or your favorite pencil, we always somehow make a connection. We hold onto memories we make in particular places, with particular people, and relive them in our minds for the rest of our lives.

I’ve had the pleasure of spending this trip with some wonderful people, people that have truly made all the difference in this little excursion from the norm, some from my own hometown, and some from far, far away. If there’s one thing I take away from this place, it’s the people, and the memories made here with them. While others are busy pointing cameras and taking pictures in an attempt to relive just for a moment a single shred of the feeling of what it was like to be here, I spend attempting to memorize in my mind the moment itself and the people its spent with, neither way is wrong, to each their own. As for the rest of our time here, knowing that with each passing moment, our departure is imminent, the only thing left will be the memories of a time that passed in the twinkling of an eye. In the meantime, we’ll just be here, letting the days go by.

Written by Erik Short