Monday, August 20, 2012

On Heights, Sharks and Mountains: Conquering Fears

The past three week since I have been home have literally been flying by.  I am getting a bit nervous about heading back to school having had little time to spend at home this summer but am also extremely excited to begin senior year.  Wow, can you believe it? I am almost officially a senior at UR. Looking back on my past three years at college I realize how much I have grown and changed.  From entering as a freshman at HWS to deciding I would pursue a different major and switch schools in the fall of my junior year I have certainly made some big life decisions.

With my decisions came much anticipation of the unknown and whether or not I would be happy with transferring and starting fresh.  The answer is simple, I am beyond thrilled with my life at UR and I cannot even begin to fathom attending another school for my undergrad degree.  I love the people, academics and the social scene--everyone I have met has taught me something wonderful about life and even myself.  One of the greatest things that I have learned is to think outside of the norm and try any and everything new--including South Africa.  If you had asked me a year or so ago if I would be studying abroad working in medical clinics in South Africa I would have laughed but I went and I loved it and cannot wait to return someday in life.

Another thing that I have learned is how to conquer my fears whether it be meeting someone new, trying exotic or interesting foods and seeking out adrenaline junky activities.

For instance, the following three activities were some of the scariest yet most rewarding and exciting moments in Cape Town:

Shark Cape Diving

Bungy Jumping

Climbing Table Mountain

All three of these activities, in addition to my work in the community clinics and settlements each week taught me that I can accomplish whatever I desire.  While I may have needed some friendly coaxing and pulling from friends to get me up the mountain or into that stinkin' shark cage, I did it and I was damn proud of it, excuse my language. 

As I set forth on my senior year I am excited more now than ever to reach out and make the most of my last year at UR before embarking on (dare I say it) the real world. 

I plan on continuing ohsomiscellanea but as you can tell I haven't been able to update as frequently as I have in the past and that is because of two reasons, (1) I am extremely busy preparing for school and will most likely be extremely busy once I get to school and (2) personal journaling.  I started keeping a personal journal that I write in when I hopped the plane to Cape Town.  It served as a way for me to keep memories about the trip that were more personal to me than I would like to share on the blog and also taught me that personal reflection is an amazing and useful tool.

I am hoping to start training for a 10k as soon as I am cleared to full out run again (I have stitches in my back!) and am trying this whole sustainability thing with farmers markets and utilizing the amazing local farmers that surround the area.  More on this to come of course.  Until next time, enjoy the rest of summer while it is around!

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