A very wise student at an awards ceremony at GV last year gave a speech entitled, “Mind the Gap.” She told us how, in London I believe, the subway trains warn passengers as they come and go to, quite literally, “mind the gap!” between the platform and the train. Using this as a framework, she aptly described what nearly all of us soon-to-be-graduates in the room were feeling, but had up until that point been too embarrassed or proud to really articulate: that vast, empty, expansive and seemingly unconquerable canyon of a gap that lay before us after graduation. That enormous question mark that loomed before us, taunting, “What now? You have plans for the far-ahead future, but what about RIGHT now? What on earth will be your very first next step?” All of us felt it, and yet most of us were completely unsure about how to take it. Sure, it was only one step – but that one step would take us from our sturdy, familiar platform onto a fast-moving train to SOMEWHERE far away, somewhere new and different and altogether uncertain - and our feet felt frozen to the spot.
And somehow, 5 months after graduation, it seems that we have all found some way to begin that first step, and to “mind the gap” along the way. A few are past that gap, onto great first jobs in promising career paths or researching in grad school; but most are still caught somewhere in between, working a job to pay the bills, saving up for traveling while we’re still young, or searching desperately for that dream job. And that’s okay, just as that wise GV graduate said to us that afternoon – as long as we remember that it is only a gap – and to not be afraid to step on that train when it arrives.
I reflect on this speech as I’m considering my own gap, my own time spent waiting on the platform. I’d thought that it would only last a few months, that I’d be embarking on my Peace Corps journey in the late summer or early fall of this year. That turned out not to be the case, and (albeit after a few weeks of moping) I’ve come to accept and even cherish it. After all, it means one more Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and birthday at home – and so much more time to prepare. And although I am SO PUMPED about my placement in Morocco for more reasons than I can count, I have to admit that I’ve struggled with this timeline change quite a bit, and am still dealing with it to some degree. What I realized, though, is that the only way to get away from that anxiety was to transform the gap from an empty space into a rich opportunity – and that’s exactly what I’ve set about doing:
I decided I needed to fill my time before leaving with interesting and relevant things, things that would be fulfilling and also useful when I leave – and also that I needed to have a little fun along the way. So, here’s what I’m up to before I go:
-- I’ve moved back to Grand Rapids, since I’m so much more well-connected here to activism, events, cool internships, and other opportunities. Plus, I love this city, plain and simple. I’m going to be spending a lot of time at home though still, visiting on long weekends and staying for extended periods over holidays. I’ll also be moving back home about a month and a half before my actual departure, to leave plenty of time for family and preparations.
-- First, the awesome internship: I’m working part time with WGVU Public Media as a Grants Intern, working mostly on this awesome project called Women and Girls Lead - Check it out! -- Note: The offices are in one of the buildings of the downtown GV campus, so when you see me around, that’s why. I did graduate and get a cool job, I promise!
-- Next, the still awesome but more for financial stability job: I’m teaching LSAT (the law school entrance exam) prep classes for Kaplan test prep. It’s pretty fun, since it’s just a few nights a week and the dork in me finds logical reasoning pretty enjoyable!
-- I’ve got a lot more free time than I’m used to, so I’m doing some volunteer work and other activist-type things. I’m volunteering in the kids’ after school program at the West Michigan Refugee Education and Cultural Center, working with We Are the People, among other things here and there. Oh, and I’m hoping to take another ceramics class while I’m at it!
-- And finally, I’m obsessing about, reading about, and otherwise preparing for Morocco! French lessons, Darija (Moroccan Arabic) lessons, books, guides, ETC! My favorite new thing is this totally kickass facebook group we have going of the volunteers in our staging class (all of us leaving in March for Morocco). Awesome.
In sum, that’s how I’m minding my own gap between now and the start of my Peace Corps service. It sounds like a lot, but surprisingly (or perhaps not so surprisingly if you know how my past schedules were), I do have a lot more free time now than I’ve had in years past. I’m looking forward to this little ‘break’ of sorts, and I know it will fly by much faster than expected. But life is lived in the present, so here I am.
