Update: April 2014

I can hardly remember even where I was a year ago. (Indonesia, to say the least). My experiences last year have been shaped, chunked, molded, minded, severed by time. I returned home 10 months ago. 

One thing that I predicted has come true: I would know, or be able to anticipate, absolutely nothing about what life had in store for me the year following my 10 months in Indonesia. But, I've learned that's the beauty of it.

Congratulations to the newly chosen students for YES Abroad next year! You're life is about to be flipped upside down and moved in ways you have never even dreamed of and that is not an exaggeration. Please don't let my blog scare you. Everything is wonderful and awesome just like you.

In retrospect everything makes sense and there is an absurd beauty about my year abroad. Let me elaborate:

On the topic of everything I complained about in this blog (gaining weight, gaining weight, gaining weight, and gaining weight..):  I'm really happy I gained the weight I did. And I don't feel artificial saying that or even that I have lost most of it now. There really was no other logical way my body should have handled the situation I placed myself in. I was like a new sponge.. a thin, dry, piece of foam ready to soak up anything and everything that comes in my path (or whatever/whoever's path I cross). In any case, I had limits.. and they were exceeded (my skin). My mind soaked in a new language, and culture, and an infinite amount of other things that sped through my head every day for 10 months. My mind had only been used to dealing with the infinite amount of things that happen even at home, so understandably, this new mass, matter, had to move elsewhere (which just so happened to be my thighs and cheeks). This externalization/internalization of my environment was beautiful. I really want to write a book about it (but unfortunately I hardly have time to write this post so let's check back on that one later). What I love most is that now I understand my body a heck of a lot better. I know my current limits, and that they are able to be exceeded. Moreover, I know that weight is never permanent. It is constantly fluctuating. Like I said, i've lost almost all the weight I gained over there. (but it has been 10 months)


In other news, I'm headed back to Southeast Asia for the next 4 years!!! (at least!)

I will be joining the second inaugural class of the Yale-NUS College.
In one broad, sweeping statement:
Yale and the National University of Singapore collaborated in creating this really truly revolutionary Liberal Arts college in Singapore. It's very first year of existence is currently underway. 


So here we go! another risk. But again... "i'm so ready"

Instead of this being a year out of my normal life, this will become my normal life. City living in Singapore. There isn't a more perfect school out there for me... and I'd recommend it especially for any YESAbroad student looking into college abroad, or college in general. To this crowd: imagine going to college with all the kids from your IPSE and it being 10000x better than that. At least, that is what the Experience Yale-NUS weekend made me believe. I feel it was made for us.

The Experience Yale-NUS weekend was extraordinary, and if you're not familiar with the IPSE, its a weekend when 90 of the coolest kids from America gather and hang out for a weekend of sharing hopes of doing something ridiculously cool amazing hard unique and amazing as a year on Yes Abroad. But now your 10 months turns into 4 years, and the 100 kids are from around the world. (all expense paid, too... flights, accommodation, etc.)

It gets better: you've already been admitted to the College. So there's no pressure of interviews, or impressing anyone to makeup for the grades or act score you don't 'have'..

So we did a bunch of things that I won't go into. But I met Jenny, who is a current Yes-Abroader hosted in Malaysia. Two worlds collided and I didn't know how to feel.

So, while I flew 20 hours from Chicago to Singapore to get to this weekend, Jenny flew probably 4 or 5 from Malaysia but Jenny is American. I hope this makes sense: Jenny is doing something amazing. Jenny applied like me to Yale-NUS and was accepted. Thus, she was invited to the Yale-NUS weekend and thats where we met. Listening to Jenny's story of her exchange thus far was...

I was right there with her. But knowing that I was headed back to Suburban America and she to her host family in Malaysia really just hit me in a place I didn't know how to feel.

Also, just understanding what luck I had being there in the first place. I didn't even know Yale-NUS existed about 4 months ago. But, when I received an email from admissions saying I had been shortlisted for a Skype interview, I remembered the box I checked on my Yale (US Yale) common application.

"Check This Box if you'd like us to share your application with Yale-NUS" OK I said. There's no way i'm getting into Yale anyway, so it's worth a shot!

I didn't get into Yale in New Haven. But thats ok. Because I got into Yale in Singapore.

And now Singapore will be my new home, and I will be only a less than 2 hour plane ride from another home... Indonesia.. which kinda makes up for the 20 it will take to get to this home i'm typing from in Chicago.

I am BEYOND EXCITED to be this close to Indonesia. I LOVE INDONESIA. 

So many good things are happening, and I just wanted to share them all because when good things happen to people its a very good thing. Especially given the way I may portray my exchange year in all of its trials and errors. I have such a strong connection to Indonesia and have Yes-Abroad, the State Department, and the American tax payer to thank for that. I also have my host families and Bina Antarbudaya, and the country itself of wonders and magic that received me and plumped me up and made me this crazy-philosophical person I am right now. And the person who is leaving late July to go to college in Singapore.

To put it all in perspective really quick:

For the first three weeks of this academic year since my return, I decided to be a Junior in Highschool because I didn't think I would get into any good Colleges without a better GPA and more time to study for the ACT.

Here i am now, eye-deep in make up work from my trip to Singapore and really ok with my not so great grades because I am going to SINGAPORE for COLLEGE in JULY. And I am ready.

Numbers Don't Mean Everything

The point I want to get across is:

IF YOU LOVE YES-ABROAD AND WANT TO GO TO COLLEGE, AND HAVE A PRETTY GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF YOUR LIFE, OR EVEN IF YOU DON'T, PLEASE CHECK OUT AND APPLY TO YALE-NUS for your COLLEGE NEXT YEAR. (or the year after, or the year after..)

Its like Yes-Abroad is priming kids to join Yale-NUS

Sure this could be really pre-mature because I haven't even started yet but hey. Whatever. I'll get back to you.


Julianne.