20 Oct What Better a Way to Reflect?

I immediately knew that I wanted my IEEC commitment to be blogging. It was for a couple of reasons, the first being that I enjoy writing and want it to be a part of what I end up doing professionally. In light of that, keeping a record of my experiences and reflecting on them in ways that might be helpful to other who were about to throw themselves in to the same, fantastic ordeal, made sense.

If I’m being perfectly honest, it was also because I knew I’d be able to do my blog posts from home, or wherever, and wouldn’t have to spend time on campus handing out pamphlets or anything like that. That’s my lazy side coming through. In hindsight, I’m really glad that I chose to write about my time here, and for reasons beyond the more obvious ones I’ve described.

A big part of the reason you’re here is to grow. It might not be something you’ve considered as actively as the thousand other things you have to think about and keep track of in the process of making the trip happen, arriving, and staying on top of things while you’re here (all while having a good time), but it’ll become more apparent and tangibly fulfilling as time goes on. I think the main reason I’m so aware of the multi-faceted benefit I’m getting out this experience is because I’ve written about it.

Blogging, particularly in circumstances like these, compels you to reflect on the experiences you’ve had, to consider what they mean and how they’ve affected you as a person, and to convey the more meaningful aspects of what you’ve realized to an audience that will face similar challenges. In this sense, blogging as an IEEC commitment is pretty fulfilling on a personal level, and feels worthy of putting what is ultimately just a bit of time towards.

My point is that you should take pride in the commitment you’ve made to blogging, and give it the respect and attention it deserves. Setting aside that it’s a small expression of gratitude for the experience you’re having, it’ll just make your experiences all the more fulfilling, because you’re taking the time and making the effort to actively consider what they mean to you. That, and because you’re expressing your thoughts and feelings to an audience, so give yourself the respect you deserve in that sense, too.