What will you experience with the time you’re given?
The end of an era is upon me: I have less than a month left in Hong Kong, and I can’t help but reflect upon the ups and downs of this phase of my life…
- Traveling to Hong Kong, Macau, China, Singapore, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, and soon Thailand
- The first time I’ve had to deal with the loss of someone very close to me
- Overcoming many secret fears including deep water, small spaces, fish, and plenty more…
- Tackling the language of Mandarin, one I thought was impossible to figure out (and still sort of do… :] )
- Learning from two Harvard professors in areas of Anthropology and Culture. Let me reiterate: I am a BUSINESS major!
- Beginning my obsession with scarves. I have bought 29 of them, gave 1 away already, and “will give the rest away as gifts”
Although I know that I’ve experienced so much in such a short time, it is hard to not think about the fact that maybe, just maybe, I could have done more with the time I had here. Perhaps I could have picked up a service project, or traveled more, or put more effort into learning Cantonese, or became friends with more people on campus.
This directly translates into something important to know about college: You should make the most of every moment– join that club you were thinking about signing up for on Quad Day, talk to that person who lives across the hall from you even though you may not know them, do volunteer work with surrounding schools in Champaign. Basically, spend your time doing something that will make you happy or that you are passionate about (or both!). Of course, schoolwork is incredibly important, but college is also about the experiences that you take away from it as well.
I challenge everyone, upon graduation, to be able to say that they’ve done something meaningful with their time at Illinois. It’s not hard–there’s plenty going on around campus! Just take a glance at my fellow bloggers’ posts to get an idea of what’s out there! I know Lucas has spent time at Beckwith Hall as a Personal Assistant, and Marina is passionate about Graphic Design.
So when you leave in four years, what will YOU have experienced? I can’t wait to find out! =)
Until next time,
Trisha
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