A letter to myself.
Melissa Vargas.
Dear Melissa,
Rewinding to four months ago, you had vastly different ideas about what 2020 would bring. You didn’t necessarily imagine that the year would be marked by a global pandemic. You thought you’d be continuing your second semester in China. You thought you probably wouldn’t see home again for at least another four months. You thought this year would be no different from previous years with Global, one filled the ability to freely travel and explore the world.
The global pandemic facing the world right now serves as an important reminder of how unexpected circumstances can flip life as you know it on its head. During this unprecedented period, I find myself reminiscing a lot about life before the pandemic. If I could go back in time, I would give myself three pieces of advice: remember that change is always manageable, appreciate every opportunity while you can, and don’t put off the things that you want to do.
Change Is Always Manageable
When the China center programming was cancelled and you decided to return home, you felt doubtful and worried about what returning to the US and doing coursework from home would be like. It was hard for you to imagine because it was something that you had never done before. Now having been home for quite some time, I would’ve reassured you back then that you would be able to manage just fine. Just because a certain change may be difficult to imagine, it doesn’t mean that you aren’t or won’t be capable of managing and adjusting. The idea of being home instead of traveling wasn’t and still isn’t an easy pill to swallow. However, you’ve managed to find ways to stay sane and happy even if it’s through the smallest things. In the end, remember that life is often a series of never-ending changes and always remind yourself of the power that you hold within.
Appreciate Every Opportunity
Sometimes it takes some sort of drastic change for us to fully and deeply appreciate our lives or the opportunities that we have. If I could give you advice four months ago, or even advice further back into the fall semester, I would remind you to more deeply appreciate the opportunities that you were living. In a way, since you were fully expecting to return to China for the spring semester, you didn’t feel the need to savor experiences throughout the fall as if they would be your last. However, I don’t blame you for this; hindsight is twenty-twenty. My overall advice to you would be to live in the present moment as much as possible and to not worry so much about the past or the future. Remember that the present can slip by too easily when you give too much thought to the past or future.
Don’t Put Off the Things That You Want to Do
My last piece of advice to you would be this: don’t wait. Don’t wait for the perfect time to do the things that you want to do. If I had known all of this was going to happen, I would have said yes to more things. I probably would have accepted more invitations and tried harder to make friends with locals. I also would have prioritized visiting Japan and South Korea at the end of the fall semester. I would recommend that you question more deeply why you don’t think you’re ready or why you don’t think right now is the right time to pursue a given opportunity. When you’re trying to decide whether or not to do something, remember that life won’t stop and wait for you.
