Why?

The more I try to tell people about leaving for a year, the more bizarre questions I get. People ask me things like, "Why would you want to leave for your SENIOR year?" "Will you even know anyone there?" "Who cares about Muslims?" Why. Why. Why. Well, to be honest, I struggled answering these questions myself. Last night I found myself on a long drive with one of my best friends. We chased the sunset as it fell behind the mountains, all while singing some Billy Joel and Bon Iver. As we made our way all over town, I couldn't help but think about how much I would miss little moments like this next year. I'll miss my family, my friends, my senior football season, my cheer team, being able to understand what people are saying, Naked Noodle, Nutella, Uswirl, and so many other things, I don't think I can list them all. So, with all of these things I'm leaving behind, why would I want to go abroad?

For the longest time, ever since I was probably twelve, I've had this urge. It's something I've never been able to explain or really put into words. I would find myself looking up at the clouds and thinking how jealous I was that they could float around all day and go all over the globe watching people. I wanted to be able to do that same thing. I wanted to wander, to explore. YES is giving me that opportunity. I've become very aware of the people that live in the constant safety net of their lifestyle and everything they know to be familiar. I don't want to be one of those people. I don't want to become stagnant. Over the past two years, I've lost two very good friends of mine. Through that experience, I've learned just how short life is. You just don't know how quickly it can be taken away from you, so I'm trying to love every minute and make it as rich as possible. I'm going so I can understand the feeling of being outside my comfort zone. I'm going to be a role model to not only my younger siblings, but also to my peers who have wanted to make a difference but aren't sure how. Let's be honest, I'm going for the food. I'm going so I can learn a new language. I'm going because we live in a country where you can go anywhere you want, and we should take advantage of that!

So. If you still are confused as to why I decided to hop across the globe and leave behind everything that I know, well I'm afraid you just might not "get it."