Dear CCI Global Scholars,
There are a few conversations
in life that you never forget. Sometimes they come at big, dramatic moments –
but maybe they’re the chat you had with your Uber driver. Sometimes these
conversations are sweet, sometimes stinging: perhaps they are poignant or
unexpectedly profound, but for whatever reason, it’s these little exchanges that
shape the way we view the world.
I’ve had one of these
conversation tucked away in the back of my head for the last four months. When
I was idle in Sydney, it wandered to the front of my brain where it replayed
again and again.
It took place during the fall
of last year. I was volunteering at the WUOT public radio station, packing mugs
into cardboard boxes alongside a man whose name I remember as Jim. Jim, like
many of the WUOT volunteers, was a former UT professor. He had travelled all
over the globe and worked with study abroad students for a large portion of his
career, so when I told him I would be spending a semester in Sydney, Australia,
we had a lot to talk about.
When I asked him where his
favorite places were, I expected some exotic answers - maybe a remote island or
a Soviet Union bloc country that no longer exists. I got something else.
“My favorite places?”
Jim paused for a few moments.
“Well…I suppose, the places
where I made friends.”
That’s it, the snippet of the
conversation I will never forget. I just
can’t shake the thought of an old man sifting through a whole world-full of
places in his memory and concluding that the people he met were what defined
the best ones.
During my time in Sydney, I’ve
found that Jim’s words applied to my experience as well. As much as I loved
Australia, it was the people I met who made my time worthwhile: that became
more apparent than ever when I remained in the city after my fellow CCI Global
Scholars headed home. So here is my message to you all:
To Abby: I am so
proud to share a name with you. Thank you for your hilarious but quiet humor,
your sweet hugs, your kindness, and your wisdom. Thank you for your hesitance
to dance, your willingness to share vitamins, your deep appreciation of a good
towel, and for being Kip from Napoleon Dynamite for Halloween that one time in
high school.
To Adam: Thank
you for your giant heart and your ability to make a variety of KILLER dishes
that contain green beans. You are always the first to volunteer to help someone
out, and I really respect that about you. Thanks for being down for leg day
every day.
To Austyn: Thank
you for being the instigator of roommate dance parties. Thank you for being
passionate about all the things you love – be it Gay Time donuts, the funny habits
of your father, or your country. I am always so impressed by your capacity to
have fun and be serious, and I know you will do amazing things whether you
choose law school or reporting.
To Catie: Whoa
roomie, my list of things to thank you for is realllllly long. Thank you for
having a playlist for everything, for cooking for and with me, for calling me
out when I desperately needed to do laundry, for having great book
recommendations and incredible insight, for listening, for dancing, for being
efficient. This could continue for a long time, but just know I love you. We’re
more than roommates: we’re SISTERS.
To Cayla: Thank
you for always having a kind comment to add, a smile on your face, and a cool
activity on your list of things to do. I love that you know who are you are as
a person and that you are willing to share that person without forcing yourself
on anyone. You described yourself as having the temperament of a koala to me at
the start of the trip and you are every bit as cuddly.
To Elle: Thank
you for your intelligence and independence, for your love of dachshunds and
impeccable fashion. Thank you for always teaching me something I hadn’t
considered before, and for sticking through the entire live coverage of BOTH
the record setting human Power T and April the Giraffe giving birth.
To Emily: Thank
you for making the 24-hour trek to Australia with me. Thank you for being so
dang cool but appreciating goofiness – I can’t wait to see how the WOW video
turns out. You are hardworking, talented, and I think you just have an awesome
attitude about life.
To Mary: Thank
you for being so caring, patient, and spiritually wise. Thank you for spoiling
us all with pancakes and muffins and biscuits and being the lady with a plan. I
think you have an incredible insight on the world, a lovely sense of style, an
amazing ability to make things happen, and it’s a joy to be around you and hear
your perspective.
To Haley: Thank
you for filling 1713 with smiles and laughs. Thank you for loving whales and
Sassy the Chihuahua, for reminding us all to have fun, and for surviving a
smorgasbord of bizarre injuries and infections (I’m shocked you made it after
all that, honestly.) Strangers brighten up around you, and that’s a real gift.
To Hunter:
Thank you for your hilarious commentary and for your ability to get in really,
really weird situations (remember that time when you got stuck in a hurricane
and that time you had to share a tent with a girl?) and make the absolute best
of them. Your organizing skills helped us have some really fun experiences, and
I think you’re a natural leader.
To Olana: Thank
you for always doing something wildly interesting and then sharing your
experience. Thank you for having THE cutest dorm room and for being warm,
kindhearted, and profound. Thank you for helping me model t-shirts,
appreciating a good slo-mo, and being willing to explore.
To Sam: Thank
you for loving travel, dreadlocks, and Trey Songz. Thank you for inspiring me
by running every day, making us laugh with the joy you experience over Rick and
Morty, going to TASMANIA (how cool!) and always being up for a good time. I’ll
miss trading eggs and avos with you.
To Shelby: Thank
you for always being a trooper, for sharing some tips on how to acclimate to
the local culture, and for being so witty and creative. I’m still laughing
thinking about your skit with the rest of your apartment. I know your
internship required a lot, and I’m sure you did a really great job.
So to all of you, thank you. To
Dr. Miller and Dr. Swan, a massive thank you as well – you made all of this
possible.
To the CCI Scholars once more, I
know everything will be different going forward, but please remember this:
You are special. You are loved. You are largely the reason
Sydney will always be high on my list of favorite places. Thank you each for
being yourself, and adding something invaluable to the biggest adventure of my
life so far. I’m always here if you need me (or some sunscreen).
Love,
Abby
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