I'm in the final leg
of my seemingly eternal wait for the summer. While I am tragically torn by the
thought of my friends' graduation, I find myself packing with a little more
excitement-- I am literally so close to possibly the most life-changing journey
of my short life!
Being immersed in something larger than myself, that is, the
fight to lift other human beings from the pit of poverty-- to finally make my
mark on the international community in an enormous way-- is what I live for, and this summer in India
is going to be the springboard for me to become a global citizen.
I am one of
those characters that never wants to lose something once it's gained, and so I
earnestly hope to keep the connections I make this summer. I will record every
sight, every smell and the many plights of my lab work online, but my plan is
to transform my summer experience into something more intricate and
long-lasting.
Come what may, I have confidence in myself, in God and in the
goodness of people to get me safely to and from my home this summer. I hope to
soak up everything-- I am to become a human sponge, gleaning the surface of
places and cultures as I go along.
I recently started
reading a book about world peace, and the 11 women winners of the Nobel Peace
Prize. Though I cannot claim to have the valor and determination of these
heroines, I am internally sparked by their unprecedented passion and
peace-building abilities. Maybe, just maybe, I can learn to be like them; to
become a servant of the world, while bringing others along with me.
Yes, this
summer in India is a 'job', but it's also exponentially more than that: it's a
leap into my future; it's a dip in the fresh water of global citizenship-- a
concept that will undoubtedly define us as a species from this generation on.
This summer, I will
be taking a risk and trying my heart at a new type of servant leadership. This
blog will hold my story and my final, desperate attempt to stay connected while
I'm away. It's up to you, the readers (my friends, family, etc.) to take my lessons
and be inspired to take leaps of your own!
I'm less than 10
days away from my first trip to Dubai, my first layover, my first
'puddle-jumper', my first bowl of curry, my first elephant, my first stay
abroad on my own and, most importantly my first international hunger-fighting
venture.
When I return, those reading may not even recognize me! With a
farmer's tan and the smell of curry tattooed through my skin into my soul, I
will be a new person-- and I hope others are willing to change along with me!
Love,
Caitlynn Fortner
