I have completed another semester of graduate school! Five down, one to go! The light at the end of the tunnel is getting so bright. One externship and one class stand between me and walking across that stage on August 9. This semester flew by. Another semester down and that much closer to leaving for the World Race! So many things to look forward to.
Since I have a few weeks off from school before summer semester starts, I have a lot of free time. The other day I decided to watch a movie called Into The Wild. This movie, also a book, is based on a true story. For those who haven’t seen it, here is what IMDB says:
“After graduating from Emory University, top student and athlete Christopher McCandless abandons his possessions, gives his entire $24,000 savings account to charity and hitchhikes to Alaska to live in the wilderness. Along the way, Christopher encounters a series of characters that shape his life.”
I feel like I need to cite this in APA format… grad school problems.
Chris meets so many people on his journey. People that help him reach his goal. People that inspire him. People that change his life.
Normally I don’t like long movies. I either fall asleep during them or get bored and have to get up and do something else. Into the Wild is two and a half hours long, what I consider a long movie. I loved it! I would never have the courage to do something like that. I don’t think I could survive for more than a few days. Watching his journey was incredible though. It must have been such a freeing feeling to be living off the land and traveling like he did.
I saw so many similarities between his journey and the one I am on. While I won’t be hitchhiking across the country or having to hunt for my food everyday, I will traveling around the world and meeting new people. People that will help me reach my goal- fundraising to get to $16,254. People that will inspire me- my squad mates who are already doing just that by posting in our facebook group. People that will change my life- all the people that I meet in each and every country.
I think that’s what I’m looking forward to the most about this mission trip. Meeting all the incredible people that are going to change my life. We are going there to try to change their lives, but there is no way that our own lives won’t be changed. I know that God is going to do some pretty incredible things throughout the 11 months that we are gone and I can’t wait to see what they are. I’m sure some of the changes won’t even become apparent until we are back in the states and starting our lives here again.
Chris keeps a journal throughout his trip. He documents what happened each day. Some days he writes a paragraph, other days it’s simply a few words. Towards the end of the movie, Chris writes one line in a book he is reading that really stood out to me. “Happiness is only real when shared.” That’s the other part of the trip I’m looking forward to. Spreading joy and happiness. I think this goes both ways. We will go there to spread our happiness and in turn the people we meet will spread theirs to us. A two-way street that I am very happy to be traveling down.
Like Chris, I am ready to begin my journey. I am ready to travel great distances (thankfully no hitchhiking required). I am ready to meet new people. I am ready to inspire others and be inspired by them in return. And most of all I am ready to share my happiness.
