Lessons from Study Away

One of the great parts of being at Duke’s Marine Lab was the friendships I made there.  As the semester came to an end, my classmates and I were all shocked that we had only known each other for eleven weeks, yet we had shared so many experiences.  On our final night we reminisced about our times together.  A repeated theme in the stories my friends told involved what they saw as my energetic personality.  They spoke of my swimming in the cold Atlantic Ocean’s January waters and my running up a rig line at St John.  My friends said they appreciated the way I was continually looking to do things.

The Atlantic Ocean on a cold but sunny January day

            I have always found it interesting to hear how people see and view the things I say and do.  Living in a new area, where I was unknown to others and no longer surrounded by the comforts and routines I had come to know at Allegheny, it was almost like starting college again.  Upon arriving at Duke, I could have adopted a new exterior and sought to portray a new image. I chose not to, however, and instead stayed true to who I am. 

            When I reflect on the stories my friends recounted on the final night and look at my former blog posts to see what I was doing and thinking when I first arrived, I can see how determined I was to experience as much as I could during my exchange semester.  I believe this determination had to do with my keen desire to excel.  Whether it was attending as many guest lectures as I could or trying to visit all parts of the island where I was staying, I was constantly pushing myself to take in as much as I could.  It was certainly gratifying to hear in the stories my friends told how much they appreciated my energetic personality.