"The Summer Before: Transitions and Discovery"

In anticipation of college, chicago, and the like, I'll first shed light on my superb experience in Kosova during, what I call, "the summer before: transitions and discovery" (Maybe I'll write a book about it someday, who knows?) That is, the summer before college - the summer after highschool. The summer where friends part long distances, where complete freedom and independence are suddenly a short reach, if any, away, and the surreal, uncertain feelings start penetrating the minds and hearts of 18-year olds everywhere.

I have been blessed with more of an atypical "summer before" than that of my peers. Sure, people travel. And sure, people go on mission trips. And sure, people move - but, these three experiences have begun to mold and shape my college experience (positively, mind you) in ways, I'd have never predicted and in ways I have not yet recognized or discovered.

I journeyed to Kosova, a country/UN protectorate in Eastern Europe, to do mission work with a big team from North America. I kept a fairly-disciplened journal while I was there, and I will contribute selections to this weblog (not the whole thing, obviously, as some is rambling, private, or just blatantly uninteresting). Enjoy!