Pre Departure part I

I remember when last Fall as a Senior the opportunity of taking a Gap Year knocked on my door. At first, I didn't even consider it as an option because it would "obstruct" the plan I already had. 

But after a while, I started to think about taking that opportunity and how it would be an amazing, life-changing experience that would broaden my horizons and help me grow as a person and see things from a different perspective. 

It was something that, deep down, I knew I wouldn't want to miss. I knew that if I didn't take the chance, I would've regretted it for the rest of my life. Even though I knew that, the only thing that held me back was the fact that I wouldn't start college "on time", right away, like everyone else. I felt like everybody else would've been ahead of me, as if it was some sort of race. 

Until one day, my mom sat me and decided to share some words of wisdom with me: "Mija, fall in love with the idea of doing different things. Enjoy life and take your time; it's not a competition. Other people's 'timeline'  is not your timeline."  and she doesn't know that, but those words gave me something to think about for a long time. 

Deciding to take a Gap Year wasn't the easiest decision I've ever made, but I'm sure it's been the best I've ever made and I'm truly glad I chose to take the risk. 

Yes, all of my friends are at college right now handing in projects and pulling all-nighters, taking their first step into adulthood and I could've been with them; but I chose to take a different path and that's okay. And the more I think of it (although I wouldn't admit it), the more I see that my mom was right. Stepping aside from the traditional path and taking this time abroad doesn't just serve as a "break" between school and college, but it helps me become a more mature and independent person. It helps me realize how important it is to live life to the fullest, because what I do with my life today, will be tomorrow's memories, and those stay forever. 

Like the toulousain duo BigFlo and Oli say: "Vaut mieux vivre avec des remords qu'avec des regrets". Which literally means, "It's better to live with remorse (in this case, take the chance) than with regrets".