Answering the Unanswerable

Balkans. I keep finding myself forgetting the whole thing even happened. Like it was an exceedingly long dream that I have just recently woke from. I LOVE adventure and Balkans was one HELLUVA adventure (I can say Helluva in a blog post if it's in our fight song, right?) and one I absolutely will never forget.

What I will take away from ASK Balkans comes from something David Knobbe says frequently. "It's not your experiences you learn from, but rather how you think about your experiences". I think this is absolutely true and something that is easy to take for granted. For instance, I'm the kind of person who only asks "Whats next?". I'm absolutely inept at reflecting and I would absolutely call it my greatest weakness. But there is something valuable about it. As they say, "Those who do not study history are doomed to repeat it.". I think this is true of our daily lives as well. We should study our own past so as to learn and grow from our experiences.

What? - Balkans. Trip around the former-Yugoslavia only about 24 hours after graduating. Mountains. Seas. Horses. Floods. History. Easy, NEXT.

So what? - Balkans for me was yet another adventure. Another avenue for me to expand my realm of experience. I was interested in seeing another mindset, another attitude for exploring life and I am pleased to say I got to have that experience. Add it to the list along with the German, Aussie, and Kiwi lifestyles. I was able to see a region torn apart by war and still struggling to sew together the peaces, with new boundaries, new stitch-lines to show. This trip has taught me about privilege, about hatred, and about loss. I've learned more about poverty, death, and the importance of family.

Now what? - I'm going to lead my life as one that could end any day. I'm going to challenge my own prejudices about others. I'm going to continue to adventure: to climb peaks, cross seas, and navigate dangerous rivers. I'm going to spend more time with my family and treasure the time I have on this earth. I'm going to find the things that make me happy and avoid the things that don't.

To everyone on the group, it was an absolutely pleasure to get to know you. This was one of my first experiences with such a varied group of President's Scholars and really a nice change of pace to be once again spending time with much younger members of the PS family. Thank you all for letting me be a part of your adventure! I hope to see you all around ORGT soon!

Andrew Warren