One Week

Separating.

That’s what I’ve been calling it. Sorting through emotions, sharing these but not those. Keeping thoughts to myself, mostly. Understanding that in one week I will be on my own in Africa, far away from home, from New Orleans, from the familiar and that in order to be there, I need to separate from here.

When I left for college I wanted to leave everything behind, start over and recreate myself. And yet I’ve come to realize this is impossible. I’ve come back home this winter to visit with old friends, hear what has been going on with them, and share what I have been doing. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it. It might have just been sharing a couple of hours over a cup of tea and coffee or going on a hike and long drive.

Some amount of separation is necessary. This time though, leaving is different. I will come back home, back to New Orleans, and back to my life here. I’m not leaving everything behind nor do I want to. But I am embarking on my own for about five months in a completely different country.

In the past month I’ve run into numerous friends, family friends, acquaintances, old teachers, and employers. It might have only been a minute but in that moment I was able to share that I will be going to Africa for the semester. And everyone shares his/her surprise, excitement, and concern with me in the words they utter or even in the facial expression they may not know crosses their face.

This blog is for you. I want to be able to share with you what is going on in Ghana. If you only read one post I hope it is this one, the first. And I hope that if you find this interesting, informative, and fun to read you will pass it on to an old friend I may not have thought of in a while, or an old teacher who helped me become the person I am today, or a family member that hasn’t been in my life for a while. I want this to be for you, a place where I can answer all the questions you have asked – what are you going to be doing? Where are you going to be living? And I want this to be for me, a place where I can share with you because I care. Because I think there’s something in sharing, in story telling, that we miss in our busy lives.

I’m hoping that this space will serve as a way for me to be able to communicate thoughts, feelings, and challenges over the next months with everyone who is interested. I’ve never kept a blog before, never written for others to read, but here I go. Feel free to let me know how you feel about the blog, what I’m sharing and any suggestions you may have.

Over the course of this trip I will be exploring “being open.” Open to new experiences and challenges, open to sharing this journey with others, and open to my feelings. We tend to push feelings out the way, not let them get a hold of us, for fear that they may interrupt our daily lives, but today I am going to start opening up, letting those fears, those emotions, be me, not just a part pushed down somewhere inside.

I’d love to hear from you anytime. Whether it’s a simple e-mail with an update or sharing a funny story, I want to stay connected. My e-mail is cbarry90@gmail.com.

I leave next Tuesday January 17th. This has been a dream of mine, going to Africa. It’s finally coming true and I can’t believe it. I’ll be attending the University of Ghana this semester through a partnership with a program called CIEE (http://www.ciee.org/study-abroad/ghana/legon/arts-sciences/). As soon as I’m in Ghana I’ll get more information about where I’m living, what courses I’ll be taking, and numerous other tidbits. And I’ll be sharing them with you soon.

A friend once gave me a card that said "Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself." - George Bernard Shaw

I'm ready to be inspired, to learn, to create another piece of myself.