GRIP, Internships Abroad To The Young Woman I Was

Social Impact in Buenos Aires, Argentina

To the Carmen I was,

Before your summer experiences began, I could say many things about you with absolute certainty. I could precisely comment on your strength, your openness, or your understanding of the world. I could comment on your past struggles or your triumphs. I could comment on the love you have given and received. It was quantifiable and easily perceived. However, I reach today with the joy of being able to say: I am uncertain.

You have been faced with trials, both internal and external, while you’ve hopped across the globe. You have spoken to people in languages and at landmarks you’d never imagined. You have navigated an uncertain and unpredictable world, faced predicaments you could not see yourself overcoming, and understood a world separate from everything, and everyone, you have ever known and loved. 

You have opened yourself up to the world. You have embraced the unknown. You have embraced the chaos of uncertainty and the joy of the spontaneous experience. You have separated yourself from the labels of a student, peer, and family member. You have separated yourself from the life of certainty and predictability you relished. You are separate even from your understanding of what you could conquer or endure.

In every sense of the word, you have found freedom. You have found freedom in not knowing, and you have found freedom in the unexpectancy of life. You have traversed a city in ways you never believed possible, and you have said yes to new people and new experiences to an extent you could have never dreamed of. I can’t even begin to tell you what you will take with you after this summer. You’ve traveled continents. You’ve made best friends. You’re not afraid of change, of unpredictability, or of loss. With every loss has blossomed an incredible new opportunity. You are malleable, flexible, adaptable, and at peace. Your greatest uncertainties have graced you with your greatest memories. You could travel anywhere in the world tomorrow. You could leave everything behind for the hope of a new life, and you’d be okay. You will say yes to more things. You will do things you never thought you would do. And instead of seeing uncertainty or risk as an impediment, you will see it as a welcoming light. You might not know what you’ll feel, or react, or miss. And I’m here to tell you now – that’s okay. 

Say yes. Please, say yes. To any new experience or to speak to any new person. You will not regret who you will become. Who I am today is because I gave into the unknown. The unknown of how I would process change, what I would have to conquer, how I would have to come to terms with my strengths and weaknesses, and who I might become. And I have not regretted it for a second. I continue to look forward to the mystery of whoever I might become. 

Embrace change. Embrace uncertainty. You will never be able to relive these opportunities. Jump at any freedom you have to travel, to learn, to experience, and to rely on nothing but yourself and your wits. 

You may never get this summer back, but you will be able to create decades more experiences like these. I carry great pride in my uncertainty. In the uncertainty of my life lies my greatest freedom and my untapped resilience. 

I am deeply proud of what you have overcome, and I am even prouder of what I have survived today. 

Say yes. I’ll see you on the other side. 

Carmen