If you're in the majority, I've yet to properly say goodbye to you. Don't worry, though, I plan to return. Only one person has acknowledged the possibility that I will: Fall in love with Africa and its people (or a person) and not come back. But I'm not really anticipating that will happen. I spent this past weekend in Brooklyn and fell in love with it and its people, so... I'm not really sure where I'm going with this. Go Brooklyn!? Nets 2015!?
I'm truly thrilled about my upcoming trip to Malawi, Africa. It'll be cool to have this experience that I think, in retrospect, has been pending for quite some time. I did not study abroad in college, so though I've done a fine amount of traveling, I've never been away for such a prolonged amount of time. More importantly, I've never traveled with the intent I'm traveling with now: to actually do something. I don't pretend to know more than I do, but I'd like to believe that even if my 3 years of medical schooling amount to something humble, they at least amount to something.
When I was younger (and perhaps more thoughtful than I am today), I used to ponder the following: if I put one feather on a scale, the needle wouldn't budge. In my little mind this meant it weighed nothing. But how many feathers would I need to put on the scale before a weight would register? How many nothings, clumped together, would total a something? "Good question!" my dad would respond, often from the front seat of the family car. Looking back, I'm sure what he meant was: what the fuck is she talking about, but that's neither here nor there*.
So now I know that there's a tenth and hundredths decimal place, and likewise realize that as a youth I probably confused my parents. But I think this abstract imagery of my yesteryears is apropos: hopefully all the weightless facts and figures I've accumulated over the last gazillion years of schooling will all clump together in Malawi-- and something that tips the scale will occur.
Best,
Rebecca
*its definitely there.
I'm truly thrilled about my upcoming trip to Malawi, Africa. It'll be cool to have this experience that I think, in retrospect, has been pending for quite some time. I did not study abroad in college, so though I've done a fine amount of traveling, I've never been away for such a prolonged amount of time. More importantly, I've never traveled with the intent I'm traveling with now: to actually do something. I don't pretend to know more than I do, but I'd like to believe that even if my 3 years of medical schooling amount to something humble, they at least amount to something.
When I was younger (and perhaps more thoughtful than I am today), I used to ponder the following: if I put one feather on a scale, the needle wouldn't budge. In my little mind this meant it weighed nothing. But how many feathers would I need to put on the scale before a weight would register? How many nothings, clumped together, would total a something? "Good question!" my dad would respond, often from the front seat of the family car. Looking back, I'm sure what he meant was: what the fuck is she talking about, but that's neither here nor there*.
So now I know that there's a tenth and hundredths decimal place, and likewise realize that as a youth I probably confused my parents. But I think this abstract imagery of my yesteryears is apropos: hopefully all the weightless facts and figures I've accumulated over the last gazillion years of schooling will all clump together in Malawi-- and something that tips the scale will occur.
Best,
Rebecca
*its definitely there.
No comments:
Post a Comment