As I travel this continent for two months, I will have a lot of time on my hands. To write, to read, to listen, and to think. I've already done quite a bit of thinking, and much of it has been about you all.
You have all inspired me. I hope to always keep a small piece of you in my heart by reminding myself to improve in areas that you are already good at. You have given me joy and shown me a plethora of strengths that people can have. Here are some things I want you all to hear.
Ana- I love you to pieces, and sitting next to you in the first Germany informational was the best thing I could have done before this semester. Your passion and devotion to God and Jesus will stick with me forever. Your voice comforted me when I was anxious. It was always a joy coming home and speaking to you, and I could go on for hours, but I'll just stop and say you are a blessing.
Sebastian- You treat every person as your equal. Respecting others is important to you, and I appreciate that. You are considerate, intelligent, and you value education. Your adventurous spirit makes life fun, and I will definitely channel that within the next few months and think of you.
Madyson- You are so honest and refreshing. You are bold and contemplative. I had so much fun whenever I spoke to you, you're funny and easy to talk to and you make your beliefs and passions clear. I will miss you so much in College Station. Sorry about your belt. :/
Lindsay- You are head strong and independent. You are very comfortable with who you are and no one can dull your flame. I know things are hard, but remember who you are. You are never concerned with opinions, so don't let yourself or anyone else question your worth. Keep going strong.
Melania- You're a cutie. I enjoyed the conversations we were able to have with the few times we had the chance to be together this semester. Thanks for being a good listening ear, for laughing with me, and for inspiring me to work harder. I commend your strong ethical values, your ability to take care of your priorities, and I love your laugh. Good luck and have the best gap year. You deserve it.
Ariella- Your independence astounds me. I absolutely will be traveling and thinking "what would Ariella do" through out this trip. I wish I had gotten to know you better. I respect your views, your work ethic, your spiritual devotion, and your fearlessness. Good luck in your own travels, I'm not worried about you at all <3
Jessica- you brought me so much comfort this semester. You are the best at having good, flowing conversation. You give so much attention to who you are with. You make others feel loved and important and never uncomfortable or unseen. You are a cheerleader and your smile is delightful.
Masha- I have never met anyone like you. You are unique. You are funny and goofy and gorgeous. You turn different parts of your personality on like a switch. You are contemplative and independent and I admire your ability to plan and execute your desires. You are quirky and I loved seeing what your next move was, they were unpredictable.
Park- Dear Youngjun, if I never meet another person as wonderful as you, I would not be surprised. Your presence this semester changed the entire program. I valued our time and conversation together tremendously-on the bus and in Berlin and any other time. I admire how fully you plugged yourself into the local community in Bonn and constantly brightened everyone's day. You are funny and sweet and I wish to work harder and be kinder because of you.
Adriana- I am SO glad that we got close over the course of the semester. I love talking to you, I love hugging you, I love laughing at everything you say. I love your habit of waking up early, enjoying the mornings, showing kindness to animals, and being comfortable with yourself. You are hilarious and you don't even mean to be. You are a delight, and you will do great things for the world and for others. I hope you realize that.
Kevin- my soulmate. When things got rough, I had you next to me to share a laugh. I rarely feel so comfortable with others as I do with you. If you weren't in Germany, I have no clue what I would've done. You work hard and you play hard and there's nothing I like more than that. I loved your laugh and smile and your playful spirit that never takes anything too seriously. I can't wait to be in college station with you.
Joshua- Joshua Korb, I see now what everyone in college station raved about when they talked about you. You turned out very different than I expected, and I like it that way. I'm glad I feel confident in saying we are good friends now. I am comfortable with you and admire your intelligence, but I admire your thirst for knowledge more. And believe it or not, I enjoy our debates. Thanks for always having an answer to every one of my curious questions. And thank you for always saying good morning.
Katarina- You are the sweetest, purest, most hardworking gal. I love your ability to push through difficult circumstances and I was glad to have you in Germany. I'm so glad you were a given a host family with hearts as big as yours. Your dedication to your family, your goals, your religion, and everything you do is something I hope to grow in. Your smile brightens a room. Obrigada, linda!
Sean- You are passionate and confident. Your sense of humor is so unique to you and I loved every sassy joke you uttered. Thank you for always being there when I felt like singing with accompaniment. Thank you for beginning my quest in learning guitar and piano. Music is the only time I felt your patience. I admire your passion for it and knowledge of it.
Josh- Your confidence in front of a crowd is fun and inspiring to watch. Your work ethic in spite of frustration is absolutely unmatched. And your bounce back abilities are, too. Because of you, I talk more to my family. I think more about my need to improve. I care more about finishing things that I don't like. Thank you.
Ryan Blanchard- Your character development was something else. You are quirky and unpredictable- I never know which Ryan I will interact with that day. Thanks for putting up with, and sometimes embracing, my overly touchy, affectionate, and in-your-face self. I know we are opposite on that spectrum, but I enjoyed our conversations nonetheless. Also, you will never know how much it meant to me when you apologized and said I could lead and plan well. It was very genuine of you.
Sid- Here come the compliments!! You are not just intelligent, but you use it in the best way possible- to help others. This is an invaluable trait. You are funny and fun and easy-going, and your appreciation for friendship and quality time is clear, and will take you far and impact the world.
Marcus- Right away, your ability to stay calm and content during trying times stuck out to me. Every difficult thing that happened to you this semester never once took your (fake-toothed) smile away from you. You are not just unique, but special. Im glad to have laughed at all your dumb jokes and meet someone that knows more memes than I do. You are smart, funny, and kind. Thanks for always capturing my good side.
Yoong- You work hard and handle every circumstance without anxiety. You are independent and I love to see you smile. You are a big ball of feist and it would come out in the funniest ways at unexpected times, and it was always hilarious. Cam on for always letting me try to speak Viet with ya!
Ryan- My sweet, sweet boy. I am so glad to have had you shine your light this semester. When I was flustered or frustrated, you were always there, and vice versa. We struggled with the same things and your presence helped me through it. Rock those summer classes and this degree, you have so much potential and it takes a belief in yourself to unlock it. And sometimes I need to take that advice, too.
Have fun in America, yall.
I think there's one missing!!!
ReplyDeleteVivian- This post captures your personality and genuineness. You made this semester a blast. Most unique about you though, I felt I could be my 100% self around you due. I attribute that to your openness. Never felt like you would judge me in the slightest for anything. You made so many places enjoyable; i.e. Maastricht, Berlin, Vienna, Paris for sure (how much did we sleep that week?), Krakow. That's because you were absolutely always down for anything. Gotta love that about you. Oh and you have the best taste in food ever.
I think there's a reason you're currently thriving on your solo travel experience. Keep thriving Viv, I want to hear all about it when we're back in CSTAT together absolutely stuntin' on everyone.