The last couple of weeks all blur together in a whirlwind of late nights, homework, and denial of all the work I have to do. As I write this, I realize that I can't actually remember the last time I was really relaxed. Everything has been go, go, go, and life is just pretty stressful in general.
I recently met with the coordinator of the Rotary Youth Exchange program, and I've been thinking more and more about taking a gap year and learning about a new culture. The program sends students to a foreign country for a year to attend high school and live with several host families. I've talked with people whose kids have participated, and the common consensus is that a gap year in a different country is something that's definitely worth it.
My recent interest in the program is motivated by the part of me that wants to travel and see the world. Different cultures fascinate me because there is so much variance but also so much that everyone has in common around the world. I've spent most of my summers in Taiwan, and it's always a culture shock the first couple of weeks there, and the first couple of weeks back, and it always confuses me how I can be a part of both cultures--I can't reconcile the two: for me, Taiwan doesn't exist when I'm in the US, and vice versa. I want to see more ways that people live, and it'd be pretty cool to pick up a third language.
There's also another part of me that's not ready for college. I don't feel ready to face four more years of school, and I'm not particularly excited about it. I skipped a grade, so I have the good fortune of being able to take a gap year and still be the normal age for a college freshman. I don't know enough about myself or anything else, and I want to figure a little bit out before I settle down for four more years.
Mostly though, I want to get out of here. Packing up and just straight-up leaving is something I fantasize about in (usually physics) class. I'd leave all the college apps and fighting behind--I can't really do that, but taking a Rotary gap year seems like a perfectly viable alternative. I feel trapped--not the kind of trapped that going to college would get rid of, but trapped as in caged into the monotony of upper-middle class life in the US.
With all this in mind, I'm still not completely sure about doing Rotary, but it's something that makes me excited, and I'm giving it serious consideration.
I think that I might also want to take a gap year after my senior year of high school.
ReplyDeleteMy sister Hadley took one and ended up going to Japan through Rotary Youth Exchange. It really had a positive effect on her. She still takes Japanese in college and will probably pursue an international studies degree. It was not all fun and games when she was in Japan though. She had a 45 minute bike ride to school every morning and another one coming home from school in darkness. Rainy and wintery weather didn’t change this routine.
I can totally relate to everything you bring up; often I feel so overloaded with school, sports, and thinking about college that I forget about what it is like to NOT have so many things to do. The Rotary Program seems like a fun, engaging way to learn more about other cultures and spend time away from living on a chaotic U.S. college campus. Since I am young for our grade too, I have also spent some time thinking about taking a gap year before heading to college, but I think I will just stick with heading to college right after high school. I think that way I will be more in the swing of going to classes and have a bit of a "head start" as a young college student. Very well-written post, Vickie! I am excited to hear more about what you decide to after high school.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I am a skippie too and I am still debating whether or not to take a gap year. I think that it will be a great experience, but I'm not sure how the whole thing works yet. I think I will either go to Japan or China for the Rotary Youth Exchange because I know those two languages. Do you know where you would like to go?
ReplyDeleteI can definitely relate to you about Taiwan. Our family trips there last about 3 to 4 weeks which is just enough time to get acclimated to the culture, but only to return back to an unrecognizable home. Doing rotary sounds like a worthwhile experience, and I wish you the best of luck with that!
ReplyDeleteI've always thought that a gap year would be interesting, but since I'm comparatively old for my grade and not a skippie I figure it would be more inconvenient than helpful for me to take one. I like your paragraph regarding daydreaming about leaving for the gap year RIGHT NOW.
ReplyDeleteThe title is a reference to the John Denver song, right?
Think about it, you never know where it'll take you! I was thinking of the Peter, Paul and Mary version of the song, but I think maybe they just covered John Denver's song.
DeleteThis is neat, Vickie! I liked reading about your thoughts and hearing the reasoning behind whatever decisions you're thinking about making. I think gap years are such great options--and it's even easier that you're a skippy. 11 years of straight school, I think you deserve one off to experience the world around you!
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