Up until the end of April, I thought I had my summer all planned out. After a harrowing beginning of 2015 applying to things and for funding and getting accepted to some things but not getting money and not getting accepted to other things, it was decided that I would spend around two months in Oregon with my family, learning Spanish and working part time, before going to Bolivia for the month of August. Julio, this Harvard boy from Bolivia, so kindly told me that if none of the other things I applied to for the summer worked out, I could head over to Bolivia with him early and we could spend the beginning of August chilling and exploring before meeting up with the team of volunteers. It sounded like a plan! I was really excited! We would even discuss different itineraries and trips we could make when we should have been studying! (oops)
And then I came home from the Jessie J concert at Harvard on April 24, and checked my email as usual. There was an unassuming one with the subject line, "Summer Funding Opportunity." I had received similar emails before, so I don't know what compelled me to read it instead of discarding it (since after all, I already had my summer planned out). But I did, and I saw this:
"funds available"
"study Polish and Polish culture"
"Krakow"
"three weeks in July"
...
It was too good to be true.
I reread it and reread it, but somehow didn't even feel a rush of adrenaline. Nor did sirens go off in my head. I was somehow very calm about it because deep down inside, I knew that something this serendipitous couldn't not work out. This was MEANT for me.
It could have been any random country, to learn any other language, but Poland? I've been obsessed with Poland ever since I spent a week there as part of a school trip when I lived in France, and I've kept in touch with some of my Polish friends and my host sister whom I adore and consider an actual sister. I was even intent on taking Polish next semester, since I promised my host sister I would learn her language. Chopin has also been my favorite composer for a while now, and my favorite pieces by him are the Polonaises, really badass sounding piano solos that all honor Poland somehow. I had no idea when I would return to Poland, but having this come up so randomly, just when I thought I had everything planned out, was perfect.
So I went and talked to the Office of Career Services without informing my parents of this opportunity that had come up, and I guess my obsession with Poland was so evident that they agreed to let me be one of those students they'd fund. And then I told my parents, and they were like "wow" and so yes long story short, I AM RETURNING TO POLAND IN A MONTH! YAAAAAAAY EUROPE (again)
Basically, this program is going to be me and hundreds of other international students spending part of the summer in Krakow, living in dorms, trying to learn a notoriously difficult language. It's going to be crazy on so many levels. It'll be kinda like exchange all over again. I CANNOT WAIT.
Heh, this'll make the second year in a row where I don't spend 4th of July in the USA. #sorrynotsorry
While going back to a city I fell in love with (and wrote in my journal at the time that I knew for sure I'd return) is definitely a highlight of this upcoming trip, what's equally important is the fact that I'm going to be reunited with some of my favorite people in the world. I won't go into too much detail as that's for when it actually happens, but my host sister has no idea that I'm coming. I've always wondered what it'd be like to do one of these surprises (I hear of people doing them on the Rotary exchange student Facebook group and the stories are always so heartwarming), so this is going to be a splendid occasion to get around to doing one. I think this blog is going to be bursting with entries detailing such anticipated reunions later this summer (not just in Poland, but in Bolivia too), but for now, I can just sit in contentment and enjoy my few weeks in Oregon before I fly back to my beloved Europe for the second time this year.
Also, enjoy this picture that I couldn't resist making once my flight itineraries for this summer had been confirmed.
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| A visual representation of the flights I will be taking in July 2015 |
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