I’m here, I’m here, I’m here, Readers! It’s been a long time coming and it’s a bit surreal, but I’ve finally made it across the pond and into this crazy adventure in Dublin, Ireland. Now, I could talk about my first reactions to Ireland (which were SO positive) or what I think of their scones (AMAZING) but instead I want to talk about something else: dependence.
Honestly, I’ve always thought I was a rather independent person, especially at Hope. There is always someone I know in class or in the different activities I’m involved in, so I always feel like I can go where I please and still be my own person.
HA. Whatever feelings of independence I felt a Hope evaporated when I got to the Toronto Airport in Canada to fly out to Ireland just a few days ago. As I entered into this monster of an airport, I realized just how dependent I really was. At that moment, I was dependent on my parents to get me to the right place (even though they had no idea where they were going either). Getting onto my flight, I saw that I had no control over whether I was going to get to Ireland safely – I was dependent on the pilot.
Finally, the biggest dependency I felt when arriving in Ireland was the dependency on everyone in the whole country to get me to where I was supposed to go and make my experience worthwhile. That was the hardest dependency for me to swallow because there was no normal for me to grasp onto yet (there still really isn’t, what with classes not being in session yet) and I had to rely on people I didn’t even know.
With all that being said, I think an important lesson I’ve already learned while being abroad is that it’s ok to not have control over every situation. It’s okay to rely on someone else and just go with the flow of differences. A bible verse that comes to mind when thinking about this is Proverbs 3:5, which says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.” Man, oh man, have I learned to do this, especially in this new season of my life. God has plans in store for me, and it’s scary not to have control. But relying on Him is a better option than relying on my own weaknesses, and He hasn’t let me down yet.
Have a great week back to classes, Readers!
Until next time!
