Dear Past Me – You Have No Clue
By: Paris Ye
Dear Pre-GRIP Paris,
It’s funny now to think about how you were so sure you didn’t want to apply for GRIP this summer. I remember how you declared to Rachel in December that you definitely weren’t going to apply (and she also said she wouldn’t) – and look where you both are now… (Hint: it’s not Rockville, Maryland, it’s a land 10,000+ miles away with cool animals and cooler people).
But I get why you thought that. You were scared. Fall semester of freshman year was a hard adjustment and you couldn’t imagine spending another summer away from home after you just rooted yourself at Penn. You’ve never lived anywhere except one house in suburban Maryland so you thought you couldn’t handle going alone to a city on the other side of the globe and living independently. It’s funny because you have no clue.
No clue how wrong you are, no clue what Sydney is like (did you even know what the Opera House was?), no clue how much you’d love it and no clue how much it would change your life. Here’s a couple of things you were especially clueless about:
1. The world is so much bigger than Philadelphia or America or even the Northern Hemisphere. There are so many more plants and animals you’ve never even heard of that you’ll see everyday (bin chickens <3). The world is bigger than that club rejection or petty drama. Everything feels smaller when you’re 10,000 miles away.
2. Australia has 26 million people. That’s less than California. At times, Australia feels like a small town – even in the bustle of Sydney, there’s a sense of tightness and community that will make you feel so connected to the city.
3. There are so many cool people at Penn you don’t know. Your future cohort might almost all be strangers to you now, but they’ll become close friends that expose you to all sides of Penn you’ve never seen before. You’ll cook dinners, go on spontaneous ferry explorations and fly across Australia with these people.
4. Sydney will fundamentally change the way you think: you’ll develop confidence, tenacity, and deep gratitude you haven’t felt before. You’ll gain the courage to stand up for yourself and your friends, and seek what you want without shame. It’ll make your experience so much more fun.
5. Life can be lived without Google Calendar scheduling every second of your day. You’ll live free from that app and still manage to live the life you want! In fact, you’ll discover that some of your favorite memories are from that spontaneity doing very “unproductive” activities.
6. Public transportation here is so good compared to America, and it’ll change your life. You have no idea how much you’ll love the ease of the light rail, taking the bus to work, and cherishing every ferry ride.
7. Sydney winter is not that bad! It’ll rain a lot more than you think and the 5 PM sunsets are a bit rough, but 60 degree weather is a lot better than the 90 degree weather at home. You won’t be able to go to the beach as much as you would think though.
8. You can live independently. Something I worried about turned out to not only be not that hard, but be something you’ll look forward to. You’ll survive the walk to find the only department store open at 10 PM to buy yourself sheets on your first night. You’ll survive cooking meals for yourself. Pesto is a great hack for that.
9. Sydney is the safest you’ll ever feel in a city. You’ll be running down George Street alone at 2 AM in a skirt and feel completely safe.
10. You have free will to live whatever life you want. Australia taught me to love challenging myself to experience every new thing: whether it’s surfing for the first time or taking a dance class for the first time.
I’m forever grateful to the weeks I spent at home over winter break that gave me confidence to apply for GRIP, and the friends that encouraged me to make the most life changing decision I’ve ever made. You have no clue how excited I am for you.
Love,
Post-GRIP Paris
The Global Research and Internship Program (GRIP) provides outstanding undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to intern or conduct research abroad for 8 to 12 weeks over the summer. Participants gain career-enhancing experience and global exposure that is essential in a global workforce.