By Santiago
As I was deciding to take my gap year, I thought to myself, “What am I going to do?” I knew I wanted to get out of the country and travel, but didn’t have the slightest idea of where to start. After some brainstorming on my mom and I’s part, I decided on Greece. I thought this was going to be the time of my life and an amazing experience. And the matter of the fact is:
It was. With a grain of salt.
Never have I felt so isolated and lonely before. To me, I felt I did something wrong with my gap year. That I chose the wrong place or wrong path or just chose wrong in deciding to take a gap year. I compared myself to others and their gap years and thought, “Did I waste a once in a lifetime opportunity?” And while I sat in my room alone in Lafkos, Greece, with my 4×4 foot shower and 30inch television, I knew I couldn’t stay the amount of time I had originally planned. I felt like I messed up.
But I soon realized: gap years aren’t meant to be just a continuous adventure or expedition. It’s meant for growth. And that is what I came to value at the end of my trip to Greece—the isolation. It took the isolation for me to realize many things about myself and what I valued and held most dear. It also taught me lessons of friendship, and that anything can be an adventure with the right people. But the biggest lesson I learned was to take advantage of opportunities and be willing to take a risk. Whether the outcome turns out amazing or not quite like you hoped, the most valuable thing to come out of it is the lesson and growth that is presented with taking a chance.
So, was Greece an amazing experience? Yes.
Was it lonely and hard? Absolutely.
Do I regret it? Not one bit.
