The Gap Closes

I am not quite sure where the idea for taking a gap year came from. I don't remember a specific moment when I decided that college wasn't the immediate next step for me, it just kind of wasn't. When I started looking at schools and talking to my college counselor, the idea of a gap year was just that - an idea. But as we got further into the process, it became a more pressing decision. When the time to decide if I was really going to defer from Lake Forest came around, I started having second thoughts. All my friends were going to be moving in to dorms and making new friends and having fun at college, the fear of FOMO was real. But I thought about the opportunities I would miss out on if I didn't take this year off, and finally pulled the trigger.

That was over a year ago, and now I can't imagine not having taken a gap year and missing out on all of the amazing things that I was able to experience in the past year. Would I probably have had a great time if I would have gone straight to school? Sure, but I also wouldn't have been able to swim with turtles in St. Thomas, or drive through the mountains in India, or celebrate Carnival in Barcelona. A year ago, I had no idea what my year would entail. I knew I would be nannying to make some money and I knew I definitely wanted to travel and do service trips but those wants were vague and I wasn't quite sure how I'd achieve them. Now, a year later, I have been to six countries, taken 24 flights, done three service trips, and lived in another country for three months. To say that this year exceeded my expectations would be an understatement.

Although I have gotten to do amazing things and see amazing places, I also have learned more about myself and the world than I could have ever imagined. Through my time leading a VBS in India and teaching English in Spain, I have solidified my choice to study elementary education at Lake Forest. I have learned about cultures in Central America, Europe, and Asia. I have become more confident in my ability to be independent and make choices to benefit my wellbeing. I also was able to meet, live with, and go on trips with some of the coolest people ever. Those people have taught me life lessons I would have never learned on my own.

Taking a gap year was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I couldn't have done it without the support of my friends and family and especially my mom and dad. Allowing their 18-year-old daughter to go live across the ocean with a random family was a pretty cool move (thanks guys). If you've been reading my blogs, thank you!! I have found this to be a good way to keep people updated and I can't wait to be able to have a story to read 20, 30, 50 years from now about my travels as a teenager.

Thanks again and lots of love,

Hannah