The Art of Exploring
Going into college traveling was always one of those “bucket list items”. When I was 18 I moved myself from Sammamish, WA where I was born and raised, across the country to Boston. For me that was the first little glimpse of what it meant to go explore the world. The east coast was a foreign world to me and I felt like I was embarking on my very first adventure. I knew traveling internationally was something I wanted to do but I didn’t really know where I wanted to go – the world was my oyster and I had no idea where to begin. As a result, I signed up for the first dialogue that I could and chose to study in South Africa for my first Summer 1 term. After my first trip abroad I was immediately bitten by the infamous and infectious “travel bug”.
This travel bug has brought me to South Africa, Swaziland, India and now Costa Rica. Costa Rica has always been at the top of my list for country’s that I wanted to visit. Its natural beauty, adventure filled activities and welcoming culture are what first attracted me to it. However, when I began looking into programs supported by Northeastern I was completely won over by the academic course content in the Sustainable Business Development program. As excited as I am to learn about Costa Rica’s culture and play in its beautiful rain forests and beaches, I am even more to learn about Costa Rica’s success in sustainable development, particularly within business.
As many of us know, the world is rapidly changing. Weather patterns are becoming more extreme and unpredictable and as a result, environmental policies and initiatives are now being built into some of our world’s biggest companies. The double bottom line between the financial and environmental impact have become integrated into one as companies quickly realize that being good stewards to the earth is just part of doing good business. Yet, there are still companies that have not fully bought into this idea of environmental stewardship. It is those organizations that I believe are most at risk for damaging our sacred earth. I believe that my experiences in Costa Rica will provide me the background knowledge to introduce and apply environmental policies to those at risk companies.
My goals for this trip are to (1) be open minded, (2) ask questions, (3) build relationships with local people, and (4) embrace the culture. In order to accomplish these goals I believe the best way to do so will be to journal, reflect and engage in conversations with fellow peers and locals. During down time I think its important to take an extra hour to go on a run, write in my journal, meditate, pray or converse with others. By doing so I believe I will get the most out of this trip and enable myself to keep my heart and mind open to new relationships and new experiences.
Despite my excitement for all the new experiences to come I am equally nervous about the inevitable challenges to come. I am most anxious and apprehensive about the simplicity of my program at EARTH University. The mission of EARTH University is to facilitate a holistic education experience founded on the principles of environmental sustainability and resourcefulness. I am nervous about the challenges of adjusting to a more simple life. Eating food that’s only in season, reducing my electricity use, not taking hot showers etc. Although these each sound like very minor differences I know that these little things will be subtle differences in my normal day to day life. After one month of living this simple life it will be interesting to see what I miss and will be a tribute to of what I prioritize most.
This upcoming month will be filled with excitement, joy, challenges and exponential personal growth. I look forward to the highs and the lows and everything in between. I hope to remain open to all the opportunities that are thrown my way and embrace each experience with humility and grace.
