Guest Blogger: Sydney Oversmith

One night we had the journal prompt: “What is something you are proud of yourself for doing during this trip?”

This is what I wrote...

"I have changed SO much since the beginning of the trip. I am genuinely the happiest I’ve been in SO long. Yes, I have had moments and times of happiness at home, but not motivated to stay happy and thinking about the future happy. I’ve made lots of progress with my physical and mental health here. I’ve been eating well, exercising frequently, drinking water, doing yoga, etc. I also deleted most social media and have made significant progress towards not caring about my appearance or being jealous of what others are doing. I’ve been on my phone less and have made so many amazing memories. I have also gotten out of my shell and been less shy which I’m super happy about. I've made so many new friends, which I was slightly worried wouldn't happen before I got here (which feels like forever ago). I also have been making plans in my free time for things I can do at home to continue this. And I’ll admit, I’ve had times of falling into old habits and worries. I'm human, it's natural, but I’ve been able to pull myself out of it and have had people here to support me. I have also been listening to what I need and taking time for myself as well as hanging out with people and making the most out of my time. And along with that I’ve gotten out of my comfort zone, tried lots of new things, and had the most amazing experiences!"

That may sound like a jumbled mess (it honestly is), but it still stands true. I went into this program with no clue what to expect. Being here surrounded by so many amazing people, learning, and growing has made an unmeasurable impact on my life. I am genuinely so proud of myself for how far I’ve come and can’t wait to see how far I’ll go. I’m truly inspired by the people I’ve connected with here from friends to program leaders to teachers to locals.

I can’t believe it’s already been two weeks. It feels like I’ve been here and had these friends forever.

This trip checked boxes I didn’t even know existed.