...that I wrote to myself for the ending date of my S.Africa program:
To [Bell] on May 12th,
As of the time of writing, the 3rd day of the program has ended. Right now part of me is wishing that I were in your position, about to return back home to the US, rather than my current one. I feel that there are two big 'hurdles' for me to overcome throughout the course of this program. The first is the start of the homestay and the second is beginning my research for the ISP.
By the time I read this, I will have all the answers to the questions I've been wondering about. How did I adjust to the homestays? How good was my ISP? Did anything dangerous happen? Will I want to return to S.Africa in the future? How much Chinese have I forgotten (and how much Zulu do I know?) Do I still want for my future to revolve around Asia?
Even if you don't have all the answers, I hope at the very least that I have become a stronger person, one who is that much more prepared to face the challenges ahead.
Wishing you the best for your future travels,
[Bell]
I guessed wrong about there being two 'hurdles.' Much of the time, it felt as if almost every day was a hurdle. But I learned to cope with it and I feel like I grew a lot through the process, so I can't complain in the end. :)
And in case anyone is wondering: my adjustment to the homestays varied; my ISP (Independent Study Project) went pretty well; nothing dangerous happened to me, but a few others in the program had unpleasant encounters, esp. in Cape Town; I'll probably return to SA at some point; still not sure how much Chinese I've forgotten, but I honestly didn't learn all that much Zulu anyway; and for that last question, probably not. At least not Asia exclusively...
In other news, due to a string of occurrences the past few weeks, I've been mad obsessing over Moulin Rouge! lately. Especially this song:
I think I only just now realized that this movie is perfect for me because:
- I'm currently a Gleek, and the use of music in Moulin Rouge! is similar to how it's used in Glee.
- I'm a total sucker for the mature & realistic girl/naive & idealistic guy pairing.
- I've always thought that Ewan McGregor is pretty cute, even more so now that I'm older. THERE I SAID IT.
