I am going into this with high, formless expectations. The place I am visiting, Bali, Indonesia, has a reputation for being a “spiritual place.” As a fan of meditation and proponent of New Age thought, I am curious to explore how these cross cultural values are expressed in this area vs. the Western environment. The […]
Month: August 2019
Rollie – Iguazu Falls
My alarm went off at 3:30 A.M., and I hated my phone as I walked groggily across the hotel room to shut it off. We were picked up in the lobby a few minutes later for the airport, and as I was waiting in the terminal, I asked myself, “what in the world could be […]
Zak – Preparing to Gap
Hello present and future Blue Devils. Welcome to my first ever blog post for the Duke Gap year program! In today’s addition I will be discussing how and why I chose to take a gap year. For me, taking a gap year was a fairly easy decision. After four grueling years of high school I […]
Makee – Leaving Home in 30 Days
I will be leaving home in 30 days. I will be out of the country, away from family, friends, and everything familiar, for approximately 261 days after that. Here is the bad news: for the next 30 days I have to watch all my friends leave town and go to college (and admittedly, I will […]
Cate – About My Gap Year
Hi! My name is Cate and this year I will be taking a gap year before pursuing my college education at Duke University in Fall 2020. By taking this gap year, I will get the opportunity to explore my interests, recharge from the stress of high school, and gain new skills that will be useful […]
Skijler – T-Minus One Month
I’m one month out from my departure — a one-way ticket to Paris. I’ve never been to France, yet here I go alone with nothing but a backpack and camera. I’ve arranged to stay in a hostel in the Montmartre neighborhood for three nights. I had to call the hostel and ask how to book […]
Mackenzie – Six Weeks
Six weeks. To students who are on summer break and are dreading their return to the academic grind, a month and a half passes by in the blink of an eye. However, to individuals anxiously awaiting news from their dream job or college, a month and a half can feel like a century. For the […]