This blog was written by our Global Gap Fellow Emma Senneville.
The Global Gap Year Fellowship is something I never imagined myself doing. Now, I’m sitting in gate C7 at RDU waiting for my first flight of three to Greece. I have gone through a wide range of emotions thus far: stress, bemusement, excitement and sadness. It has been an emotional roller coaster for me. It still doesn’t feel real. I feel like this is a dream and I will wake up any time now. Now… Nope, I am still awake and this is all real.
I think of myself as independent, someone who can take care of themselves. But now I’m realizing just how much I will be on my own. Though I have no doubt I will figure things out and be okay, there’s a sinking feeling in my stomach. I will be alone, without anyone I know. This is a scary thought as I am now sitting in gate C3 at JKF. I have traveled by myself before but someone has always been waiting to pick me up, but this time I’ll be my own ride.
Even with all of these gloomy feelings I am absolutely filled with excitement and anticipation. I will be living in a tent at a farm loft working with sea turtles. I’ve never heard a cooler sentence than that. I am exhilarated to volunteer for this organization. During this time I just want to focus on the moment. I am a planner, and rarely do I do things on a whim. But during these next few months I will live in the moment, taking part in every opportunity that interests me and really engaging with everyone and everything I can.
I landed in Istanbul after a 9 hour flight. I flew with Turkish airlines and they had awesome food (10/10 service). Anyways, landing in Istanbul was a crucial moment in my journey. As soon as I arrived I tried to use my EU phone plan but it did not work no matter what I tried. I was honestly on the brink of tears because I just wanted to talk to my family. That’s when I saw a Wifi kiosk on the first floor. I walked up to it and swiped my passport to get the password to the wifi in IST. I immediately called them to let them know I was safe and sound.
But I realized that I had a problem and I got stressed but I solved it. I kept my composure and I solved that problem. I will be okay and I will take in every moment on my gap year.
-Emma Senneville