à chercher

You might be wondering why I decided to name my blog ” à chercher”. Besides the self-serving reasons like it sounded cool and the fact that I wanted to make my 7 years of French courses count for something, I spent a few days reflecting on my inspiration to embark on such a world expedition.

You see, I Just graduated from a small liberal arts college in the middle of Iowa, USA. But what is significant about this is that I grew up 30 minutes away from my college. Although I am from the largest city in Iowa, Des Moines, it is still pretty small. Due in fact to my growing up in a Des Moines suburb, attending a school right outside of it, and working many internships and jobs in Des Moines- I can’t go anywhere without knowing someone.

Not that this is bad by any means, in fact, I am glad I decided to attend Simpson College. I have had many opportunities to travel, meet people across the country at leadership conferences, and work & advocate for issues I care about. But it is through all of these experiences that I realized how big the world really is. There is so much to see, to do, and to experience.

My small liberal arts college supported me in my many interests and therefore, allowed me to adjust my life goals. I found fascination in religions, cultures, and policy. Through my studies, I have concluded many of our current political tensions are due in fact to the lack of understanding of other religions. 99% of Muslims are peaceful- creating policy to exclude Muslims from the United States is not only racist, religiously intolerant, but just un-American. The United States has welcomed millions of people with open arms- it is silly not to continue this tradition.

I hope to make a difference in the world through policy.. but before I do that, I need to experience and embrace the world I inhabit. Before I can change it, I need to understand those across the ocean. I am out to experience the beauty of people, the ugly of colonization, and to swim with a whale.

So, I a spending the summer interning at the U.S. Embassy in Djibouti, Djibouti as I work with the Public Diplomacy Officer. After that.. who knows where life takes me before I head to Malaysia to teach English as a Fulbright Scholar.  Life is a journey, so I am accepting the uncertainty in my ill-defined return date.

I hope you take the time to share my journey with me. Stay tuned as I post about cultural oddities, my experiences at the U.S. Embassy, and new foods I dare myself to try.

 

Cheers to the uncertainty of life, to technological advances allowing me to document the next year and a half of my life, and of course to you, the reader, who is taking time out to follow my adventures.

-Bills