In 6 1/2 hours, I'll be boarding a plane destined for Bangkok, then Karachi. It's something that's been in the works for a few months now, yet it's come so quickly. Tying up loose ends, saying goodbyes… it all happens so quickly.
I'm going to be spending 2 1/2 months working with the national team of AIESEC in Pakistan, helping them with their social impact projects in the universities. I'm heading into a new country, a new culture, with new people, working out what is needed and then implementing it. This is my chance to develop and implement my own ideas, to be an open person, to be independent and to push myself further than ever before.
It's absolutely frightening. Yet, I feel a sense of exhilaration at the opportunities in front of me.
Here I go, into the deep end.
I attended my 5-year high school reunion tonight, which was a very surreal experience. I tried to go there with an open mind, that 5 years was a long time, that the judgements I had made in high school may no longer be valid, and to expect to be surprised.
I was. I saw people who wouldn't normally have socialised at school mingle and chat. I was able to connect with people I barely spoke to at school, and found people striving for the same change as I.
There were people who hadn't changed. The same cliques existed. Some people behaved exactly as they had back at school. Two people independently questioned whether it was because that was how they normally acted, or if they were reverting to their behaviour because of the atmosphere, because of the routine and familiarity of the school group.
At first, I was pretty apprehensive about going to the reunion, but I'm happy I went. The few meaningful conversations I had show how much people can change in 5 years, how judgements and reputations obscure people's true nature, and how old friendships can be restored over some reminiscing and drinks.
Good times.
