This past weekend, I had the opportunity to go to Introcamp, a 4 day camp put on by Rotary for the newly arrived exchange students in Colombia. Thanks to all the volunteers and their hard work, this camp was amazing. I got to bond with teenagers from all over the world and learn about their backgrounds and experiences. We danced, sang, swam, and got to go to a spectacular waterfall in a natural river nearby Alvarado, Tolima. It was hot, but all the same everything was wonderful. It was truly an experience I will never forget.
One of the many things that I learned through these international interactions was that, despite our many differences, we exchange students aren't all that different from one another. Yes, we have different languages, different cultures, and different backgrounds, but we all are united by the same sense of adventure- a desire to wrap ourselves in the human experience and dive into the unknown without fear of tomorrow. We are tied together by an idea, a place, an experience of Colombia. We come from vastly different realities and yet here we all are, jumping into this beautiful unknown experience, willing to sacrifice "normal" for a year in order to do the extraordinary. How cool is that?!
Being an exchange student means opening one's mind and one's heart to not just a new country but to the entire world. By opening my heart to the world, the world has opened its heart to me- and it's beautiful. I now have an international family which I know I can depend on for the rest of my life. I have realized that humanity is all connected, and the world really isn't all that big- in the best way possible. Though it was hard to say goodbye to everyone at the end of these four whirlwind days, I know that we are all headed for our own beautiful, brilliant adventures, with the support of the whole world lifting us up. Thank you to everyone who has made this experience possible- I can't wait to see what the future holds for all of us.
A family photo:
