Carpe Momentum
Present. That’s how I feel patiently sitting in the Panama airport waiting for my next flight to Santa Cruz. But not the overcast, slow, surf-culture Santa Cruz I am used to. However, the Panamanian hills behind me at the moment remind me of the mountains I pass through on highway 17 to get there. I’m sure a more creative writer would come up with something brilliant for that symbolism, but I’ll just leave it for now.
Taking off from SFO at 1:35am p.t. last night has made this feel like a more adrenaline-rushing, but less active all-nighter I would attempt to pull in middle school, despite getting ~4 hours~ of sleep on the seven-hour flight. And way less Mario Cart, Copa Airlines do I have an idea for YOU.
Traveling with Lacey has made this way more fun than it should be considering the twenty-six-hour travel day we are currently embarking. Unfortunately, our short flight from Santa Cruz to Cochabamba got cancelled so we had to scramble for the next available flight, and it put us at an 8-hour layover in Santa Cruz, staying the night in the airport. “It’s all part of the experience,” we’re telling ourselves optimistically, ignorant of what two less-than-par nights of sleep can do to one’s mood. I guess we’ll find out soon! I’m still optimistic.
Present. I’ll start again. The mindset I want to have/be in my next seven weeks and then after. Along with the adrenaline I’ve been feeling since arriving at the airport this morning, I’ve also been feeling grateful. Grateful for my family for trusting me with the opportunity. Grateful for the Global Fellows Program, AHA Bolivia, and all of the individuals within for allowing me the opportunity. And grateful that I decided to apply for the opportunity. Besides visiting family in Ireland briefly, I’ve never experienced anything outside of my American bubble, and rarely, my northern California bubble for an extended period of time.
Despite having little experience, I know I want to be present. For me this means loosely controlling the drift in my thoughts concerning the future and sometimes the past. This has not been easy the past two weeks, as I have been moving from place to place with my head constantly on a swivel. Along with Santa Clara graduation, I made the trip up to Eugene for my brother’s graduation from the U of O. I was lucky enough to be home in Sacramento for a day and was able to make a day trip to Lake Tahoe and SF with the family for some quality time. Then I attended two leadership conferences opportunities, one in Dallas and one in San Francisco. It’s been one hell of a whirlwind and I’ve been having SO much fun. However, as you can see, I like to look forward to things, which can sometimes get in the way of my present self. My starting goal after touching down in Cochabamba is to be fully there with the people, the place, and my other Santa Clara Broncos. I don’t think this will be that difficult, just something I want to be aware of. LET’S DO IT!
Looking forward,
Jk lol signing off,
Brendan
