“You gotta dream like you never seen obstacles” – J Cole
About 9 years ago, I remember my younger sister and I were talking about our plans for our future. We dreamt similar paths; graduate high school, go to college, travel, then get married and have children. This path seemed completely attainable to the 12-year-old version of myself. Back then I didn’t think twice about the stressors of the world. The thought of money, resources, or the level of difficulty to actually find love never crossed my mind. That’s how it should be; everything should feel attainable and you should never feel like something is holding you back. However, as you get older, responsibilities began to reveal themselves and as you continue to pursue your path hurdles and brick walls stand in your way. Instead of using the strength within you to break down those barriers, you simply choose a different path. It’s much easier but with this choice you downgrade.
So many put their dreams on hold and sometimes never look back. This act conjures up regrets and what ifs, two things I never want to see in my vocabulary. Because of the help of so many people and determination, during this coming winter break I will be one step closer to burying those words as I study abroad in London and Paris! I will be able to fulfill part of my dream and explore all the diversity, beauty, and knowledge this world has to offer. To travel is something we all dream about, however, when opportunities like this come along we tend to get discouraged. Please take it from me, I didn’t come from money but my family seemed to always make due. I never imagined that this would be a reality, so I encourage everyone not to give up. There are ways around the hurdles and walls standing in your way. So the stress of facing them shouldn’t belittle your dreams. You should dream as big as you want and work twice as hard to accomplish them.
During the weeks abroad I will keep a journal to share my experience in forthcoming articles.