I am writing to you from a Starbucks in Leeds where I have just finished my final essay! And with that, and some stellar news from UNM, you are reading the words from a recent college graduate. Exciting! Now, to find a job... which is the case for 9% of Americans. I guess now I am the 9%?
I am one week away from joining most of you in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave, and cannot wait! My time here in England has been, well, a whole list of adjectives. The most valuable fruit that is coming from this trip is knowledge. I cannot tell you how many hours I have spent enriching my mind with knowledge of history and culture by traveling, conversing, and honestly, spending hours upon hours on Wikipedia. I have come to believe that perhaps the most valuable knowledge one can acquire is through learning and accepting cultures different than your own. I know this experience will serve me well for the rest of my life, and the journey of my knowledge does not end with the acquisition of my college degree, but only begins. These past five months, I've been able to evaluate why I believe the things I do, and why other believe the things they do. I am so blessed and thankful for this opportunity, and it would not have been possible without support from my beloved UNM, the Chase Foundation and my dear friends from Artesia, and of course, my sweet parents who support and encourage my dreams (even though my dad raises his eyebrows at some of my schemes).
Goodness, now I'm all teared up! (All that being said, I still believe that the United States of America is, by far, the greatest nation on earth!) Like I said, this is my final week in England. Tomorrow, the Aussies and I are going to Bath and Stonehenge, which we are really excited about! Bath is an ancient Roman city that, you guessed it, has ancient Roman bath ruins. And I don't need to tell you what Stonehenge is (or at least I hope I don't! see Wikipedia if necessary!). This is our final hurrah together and we'll make the most of it. I'll be sure to let you know all about it when I get back. Next Saturday, I will be flying from London to Boston to see the city (always wanted to) and learn about some of my own history! Then, I'll be heading to Pittsburgh for a day or two, where I will make a day trip to Shanksville to see the 9/11 memorial where United flight 93 crashed. I'm feeling ever-so-compelled to visit the memorial.
After all that, I'll return to Dallas for a few days and then head out to New Orleans for the weekend (it never ends). Then, the real world hits and I have to get out of the unemployed 9% and find a job. Should be exciting (and by exciting, I actually mean stressful, haha)! Now I must put to use all that I have learned to do something good--to contribute to the world we live in. In the words of Peter Parker, "With great knowledge comes great responsibility." (Actually, he said power not knowledge. Power/knowledge, same thing.)
I promise to write soon about my trips in December to Italy, Paris, Holland, and Scotland.
Go Broncos!
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