This all ends in two weeks. And just typing that hurts a little. I entered this program with many questions and many hopes. And soon, I will be leaving it with much joy and much gratitude.
Truly, I feel I’ve been aching for this genre of travel my entire life. I’m quite lucky because, growing up, my family, unlike many other immigrant families, had the means — the time, the money, the citizenship — needed to visit our family in Colombia every couple of years. Traveling there has always been a joyous but also painful experience. To see your family and friends — more broadly, to see your country — suffering in ways you can’t help — while you visit for leisure, knowing you can and will escape their struggles within a week’s time — will always feel awful.
How wonderful it is to travel to a new country in the way that we have, working on a project endeavoring to uplift, trying to not just take — to not just enjoy the beauties of a nation — but also to give — to celebrate and service a beautiful people who’ve welcomed you into their home. And to do so while learning a new artistic discipline, to do so in the company of thoughtful and kind and funny and interesting learners, an amazing community of students — it’s an unparalleled experience and one I wish I could replicate.
Last week, during the seemingly endless hours in which my laptop refused to open the week’s Premiere Pro project, I began a new project — a Google search one. College student travel fellowship program. Fellowship college abroad. Abroad college fellowship. Travel university student program. I came into college sure I wanted to spend a summer abroad, and today — two weeks before this program’s end, two weeks before I leave this beautiful country I’ve been privileged enough to explore — I’m sure that one summer abroad couldn’t possibly be enough. How badly I want to relive this experience, to spend another summer living and learning in this way. Having now spent hours Googling comparables — searching for another travel experience characterized by impact, art, and community — I’m finding this experience was likely of the once in a lifetime variety, and though that possibility saddens me, I celebrate it. I can’t be more grateful I experienced this — even if only once.
Yesterday, a Community Health Worker told me she’d given me the name Matlhatse, just like her daughter. Matlhatse means lucky. And having had the opportunity to come to this nation, to work on this project, and above all, to meet these people, I know I’m lucky.
