After a month off, I felt it time to re-embrace the blogging experience. And so I shall, although perhaps in a slightly cheesier format.
At the start of the summer holidays it seemed only apt to write a few words of encouragement for the even fewer that read my blog. A few months, whilst in the grand scheme of things is a very short time, can make a massive difference depending on how you use them.
I would definitely take the extended hours of freedom in the day to sit down, as our Headmaster so frequently – and rightly – reminds us, and read a book. Not only is a good novel engaging and exciting, but also educating. You can discover a lot, from politics, to religion, to romance, and, what's more, your response towards these topics can be very telling about yourself.
However, I think that the summer is a time for grand adventures and exploring yourself and the world around you.
Whilst preparing to set off for Uganda in the early hours of tomorrow morning, my thoughts turned to my purpose for taking the trip. As a human race, and certainly in Western culture, we seem to be so attracted to what we might call ‘aid work’ as an opportunity to share our talents and ‘reach out’ to the wider world. And of course, this is important. However, although there are moments for pretentiousness (I am thinking mainly of my A Level English exam), this is certainly not one of them.
I think it’s important to remember that the experience, far from bringing our own culture to the country we are visiting, is one for learning ourselves. A wise person once told me that it is only when we are pushed to our limits that we discover our true selves. I agree. We see examples of this happening in daily life - the contestants of BBC1’s ‘The Apprentice’ always seem like much nicer people in interviews… - but even more so in situations which are extremely different to our natural environment.
Whilst the next two weeks, I am sure, will be a fantastic opportunity to throw myself into the activities at our link school and try to make a difference to my fellow adolescents’ lives, I am assured that I will gain more from the experience than those at the school ever will. This, again, I agree with and, as a result, have decided that I am going to Uganda, quite simply, to have fun, to put myself out of my comfort zone and discover a new culture and friends.
I believe that as humans we should test ourselves and allow our personalities and opinions to be changed by the experiences we have. This summer is the perfect time for that – don’t be scared of what you might find and go for it!
