Two years ago, I submitted my ED application to Wellesley, and the waiting began. I’d recently resolved not to bite my nails, so I counted down the days biting my lip instead. But regardless of the outcome five weeks later, I knew what I’d be doing the next fall: living with a host family in Ecuador.
My gap year was mostly a result of my determination to take advantage of every opportunity. I got a full ride to spend seven months living in a Spanish-speaking country—after studying the language for thirteen years, I’d finally get to use it. But on top of that, school was hard, and as the weather got worse I found my motivation lacking. I remember sitting down to study when I didn’t want to and telling myself to do it for Wellesley. It shouldn’t be that way. I love learning for the sake of learning, but I’d lost that.
Fast forward to the summer after senior year, which slipped away with every eight-hour shift I put in behind the cash register. The days left until August 26, when my flight was booked to take me away, always hung over my head. Twelve weeks turned into three days, and then I was in San Francisco at orientation, and soon enough I was dropped off at my host family’s house.
The short version is that I lived with a host family and interned at a public radio station. The long version includes a whole lot more: I read a bunch of books, I became competent at lighting matches, and I made friends from all over the world. Even as I built a new one, my first home was always on my heart.
Taking time away from school made me so much more excited for college. Free time is great, but so is intellectual stimulation. Now, halfway through my first semester, my gap year pops up all the time. One of my professors mentioned how indigenous women in the Andes carry their babies on their backs, and I could picture exactly what she was referring to. When we talk about getting people to take public transportation in my ES class, I remember counting out the thirty-cent bus fare from home to work every day. The seasons are changing here, and the falling leaves remind me that I skipped fall and winter last year. I didn’t miss the cold.
Academics have come back to me pretty quickly, though I have wondered at times whether I’ve forgotten what a thesis is. It was nice finishing a book every five days, but I love being busy again.
I get a lot of “I sort of wish I’d taken a gap year” when I tell people about mine. Keep in mind as you await admission decisions that you don’t have to go back to school right away. If you have any questions, please drop a comment below!
My roommate and I biked to Ben & Jerry’s this afternoon because they were giving out free vegan ice cream!
I went up to the top of Galen Stone Tower last Saturday to write about the Halloween open carillon tower! The view was insane.