Good-bye Georgetown, Hello Amman, Jordan!

Will I miss being on the Hilltop? What about my friends on campus? Dahlgren Chapel? Lau? Wisey's?

I will definitely miss being at Georgetown. Everything about it. From the late nights at Lau to the runs down to the National Mall to the Hot Chick sandwich at Wisey's, and the list goes on... I'm thankful that I was able to be on campus last week, spending time with friends and having at least a small amount of time on the Hilltop for my Junior year.

So if I will miss it, why am I spending an entire year abroad?

I guess the way I look at it is that a year abroad is still a part of my Georgetown experience. Everyone has different experiences - they take part in different activities, different classes, reside in different living situations. This past May as final exams were coming to a close, I began to feel sad that I would not be returning to Georgetown for my Junior year. I felt that I enrolled for four years at Georgetown and now it was going down to only three. I was being shortchanged. In retrospect I believe that response came from my emotions after looking back on a fantastic Sophomore year, and assuming that the only way to replicate the successes and failures, challenges, and obstacles that I had to overcome which truly shaped me as an individual and made Sophomore year so incredibly special.

As I look towards a year abroad, I can say with certainty that I am doing this for me. Not to fill a certain Georgetown persona, not to fluff up my resume, or make my parents proud (although I hope I always do!). Rather, my decision to study abroad for a full academic year in two locations is multifold (these are in no specific rank): first, the two locations complement my major almost perfectly as I am looking at international development and social justice in the Middle East (Jordan) and Latin America (El Salvador); second, I want to become fluent in Arabic (inshallah – God willing!) and Spanish; third, I believe that the chance to study in two vastly different locations and cultures will allow me to learn a thing or two about who I am. It will challenge me, surprise me, encourage me, upset me, etc. It will place me outside of my comfort zone (something I struggle in stepping out of). And my greatest hope is that these experiences will engage me in the “gritty reality” of this world as I strive to discern God’s vocation for me.

A week ago I said farewell to Detroit. Now it is only appropriate to say "Good-bye Georgetown, and Hello Amman, Jordan!" Inshallah, I will post soon!