So I’m new to the whole blogging thing. I mean, I’ve only spent the last four hours trying to figure out my nifty new WordPress account. (Someone please tell me if these posts are actually, well, posting..)
I fell off the creative writing bandwagon somewhere between The Great Gatsby and a 12th grade essay on King Lear. So this venture off from scientific research papers and APA format is unchartered territory. As a self-proclaimed introvert, the mandatory blog post component of this internship makes me a little uneasy, but we’ll give it a shot.
But first, let’s backtrack a little and see how I ended up here to begin with.
Some impulse decisions get you a new purse, mine, I end up en route to Africa. I came across the Western Heads East internship application a couple days before it was due with no real intention of applying. But of course when it’s midterm season you look for anything else to do so I screenshotted it and sent it off to my parents. And with that, I submitted my application at the prompt hour of 11:53PM before the deadline.
After receiving my acceptance email I thought I’d be more excited but instead the fact that I’ve never actually lived anywhere other than Ontario, let alone another continent quickly set in. I’d just signed myself up to be halfway around the world for the majority of summer, wouldn’t be able to see my family and friends, and had no idea who the other interns even were. I contemplated declining the offer several times until I finally realized, whether I end up loving or hating my time away, at the end of the day it’ll just be a learning experience and help me appreciate all we take for granted in Canada.
One swahili lesson, a couple bumps along the way, four very painful vaccines later; and I can’t believe it’s a week away from departure. There’s still a lot left to do, but the nerves have subsided and myself (and Pinterest board) are ready to tackle Africa.
