I can say that I think I have made a good name for myself here in the South East Europe Region, and next week I get to present to the Europe VP. Hopefully that will go well.
As far as not wasting this opportunity, I'm a little unsure. There were some days when I spent too much time alone. I slept a lot on weekends instead of going out and exploring. I didn't go out and find friends and connections as much as I should have. I didn't see very much of Serbia. But I did manage to travel a lot. I have been to 12 countries since I got here, and have been to some more than once, including going to Turkey 5 times, and Spain 2 times. I have plans to go to 4 more countries before I go back to the US. I have made a few friends. I proved that I could be alone, really alone, for an extended period of time. I have experienced things that I never would have imagined I would have the opportunity to see such as tulip fields in Holland, roasting a goat for Orthodox Easter, hiking in the Alps, sea kayaking in the Gulf of Thailand, and having a work meeting in the former palace of a Sultan. It has been really amazing.
I guess the thing that really scares me is that I will go back to Texas and be boring. That this experience is the peak of my life, and now I will go back to being like everyone else. That I will settle back into my life, and never leave. I'm afraid I will lose my restlessness. I lived that life before and it was safe and comfortable, but wholly unsatisfying.
So now, I'm pushing and rushing and planning to make the most out of the last few weeks I have here so that I can minimize regrets about this experience. What I have learned is that we can't change who we fundamentally are, but we can adapt how we respond to situations and that we all need to be open-minded enough to recognize opportunities when they appear to us.
That's it for now; I have to start planning my next trip!
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