It wasn’t until I found myself staring at the flight details on my computer screen that it hit me: This would be the first time I’d be leaving the United States in over four years. Four years of an exponentially growing wanderlust finally manifested itself in a rush of unfiltered excitement. Colombia was more than six years ago and Germany was four, bringing my total country count to a humble two. Now here I am ready to embark on an expedition to over 5 entirely new countries. New food, new sights, new peoples, and new memories. It feels surreal.
As a commuter, I’ve never truly felt a part of the Rollins College community. Although I take the train everyday to Winter Park, sit in the same chairs, complete the same assignments, attend the same lectures, and roam the same campus as my peers, there was always something about my college experience so far that’s made me feel like an outsider. I’ve never known what it feels to live away from home for an extended period of time, what it feels like to wake up under the same roof as my closest colleagues and walk to class in 5 minutes, or what it feels like for school to also feel like home. Have I met new people and experienced new things? Sure I have. But my preconceived notion of what college should be like has definitely not aligned with the way my experience has unfolded thus far. This semester abroad however, seems to me to be my first opportunity to know what an authentic college experience is like and for that reason I am endlessly thankful to have discovered what CAPA has to offer.
It seems as though everything that’s happened this year has led up to this moment. The tedious application process, the interviews, the passport and visa paperwork, and the grueling pedicab shifts downtown until 3 AM every single weekend in order to earn enough money to be able to sustain myself financially abroad. The fruits of all of this plus the support of my friends and family will finally be reaped. I am confident that my life will have changed once I set foot back on American soil.