A Touch of Gratitude

As many people know, today is the day I finally leave on the gap year I have been talking about incessantly for the past five months. There are plenty of thoughts pulsing through my mind at the moment, but I want to use this post as an opportunity to show some gratitude:

Thank you to my family who has supported me from the very beginning by cheering me on and sharing my worry and excitement. This wouldn’t be possible without them and I can’t describe how grateful I am to have them by my side.

Thank you to my amazing friends across the country who have freaked out over every detail and have never doubted in my ability to embark on this adventure. I wish them all an incredible time in college, or whatever they may be doing.

Thank you to the Fellowship for granting me this special opportunity and to everyone in the GGY family who knows exactly what I’m going through and has been a huge help along every step of the way. Thank you for your patience and guidance; I’m extremely grateful knowing that I have a family waiting for me when I get back to UNC.

And finally, thank you to everyone who has shown interest in following my blog. Among the many, busy things that occupy our lives, I’m humbled to know that there are people taking the time to read my crazy (yet hopefully entertaining) stories and thoughts. This blog will be a learning experience and a way to track my growth throughout the year and I’m excited for people to be along for the ride!

So yeah. Just a big, fat, huge thank you to everyone. Are cyber hugs a thing? Well, if they aren’t, I just made them one. HUGS FOR EVERYONE, YAY!

Cyber hug, oh yeah, with a nose scrunch and everythaanngg

I’ve never been too fond of goodbyes–they have always seemed permanent to me. Luckily, the Sinhalese seem to agree, so I will share with you their special way of saying goodbye. Phonetically, it is “gihin ennam” which literally translates to “I’ll go and come back.” So as the final hours wane down, I won’t leave you with a goodbye, but a simple gihin ennam.

Cheers!