Having spent nearly 3 days in Miami I still find myself
unable to answer the question: what kind of person just up and moves 1,800
miles away from home to live in a city she’s never been with people she’s never
met to volunteer for a year? I guess the
most obvious, easiest answer would be: me!
To try and complicate the question or the situation would mean spending
hours reliving the past year or so of my life that led me to this decision, and
trust me, nobody wants to hear that.
Instead I will share a tiny bit of the story to get this blog rolling
again and give you insight into la vida loca.
I should have known the day was going to be a day unlike any
other. After all, I was heading to the
gym with my roommate Kaley. The number
of times I frequented the fitness center in college was about the same number
of times I punched into the Gorecki dining center each day. So, as I strode along on the elliptical I was
excited when I heard my phone buzz once.
What could this email say? Parking
lot closure? Fire alarm testing? Bulletin board? I opened it and focused on one word:
MIAMI. As Will Smith’s “Welcome to Miami”
started playing in my head, it took me a couple seconds to realize that checking
the box “I would like to serve where most needed” landed me in the Sunshine
State. Of course, I would still have to
interview directly with the Miami program, but I was one step closer to
realizing my dream of committing to a year of service, and in Florida of all places. I showed Kaley the screen of my phone to
reveal the news, we gave each other the “OMGOSHTHISISSOEXCITINGHOLYCOWWOWZAGEEGOLLY”
look and then I quickly got off the machine.
Who could elliptical with such exciting news?
Fast forward to today and here I am! Miami, Florida’s newest resident! I’m excited to get going and begin training
for my program and Monday. Though my
reason for being here is my volunteer program, I do not wish this blog to be
about that specifically, and it is not in any way a reflection of the thoughts/opinions/beliefs
of my program. Instead, I wish to
(hopefully) shed some light on the complications, excitement, joy, nerves, confusion,
etc. of moving to a new place, meeting new people, and challenging myself. I know many people who have done this before
and many close friends who do it now. I
hope that by reflecting on this experience I can bring a deeper sense of
purpose and meaning to what it means in my life. Ideally, it’s more than a Will Smith song and
a tan.
Mee ow eee!
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