Tuesday, June 29, 2010


WEEK 2 BEGINS!

It’s Monday morning of week two here at Olive Grove (ok, it's Tuesday night but I wrote this yesterday morning). We have quite a few new high school girls, bringing Team Wild (our group name) to a grand total of 26 members! Today I start my drama elective which I am very excited about.

Yesterday, we went on an amazing day-long boat trip in and around Cirali (chu-DRA-lu) and we ended up in some cool caves at Olympos. I was reminded of how much I love being out on the water and some campers even retaught me how to dive (though it wasn’t much of a success). A thought comes to me as I reflect on our boat trip: we cannot escape ourselves. My dear friend Marianna knows this well, as she’s shared some insights with me pertaining to her tour de Europe. Our location can influence and shape us, but we are still ourselves. I am still the same self who struggles with insecurities and is intrigued by nature and funny people whether I’m sitting in my backyard at home or on a boat in Turkey. While I was aware of this going into my trip, I’ve seen it play out often here at camp and have enjoyed being a learner of this life lesson.

I still need eight hours of sleep. Though I would love to be the coolest counselor ever and socialize until the wee hours of the morning, I need to be rested so I can invest into my girls during the day. I still hate sports and have all the fears that come along with playing a “social” pick-up game of anything (though I did love watching our Jr. High boys dominate the village boys in football last week!). I am still likely to make close friends wherever I go because companionship is that important to me. Seriously, I almost cried when Katie, who I’ve known for a week, left for Istanbul yesterday!

So travel may end up transforming me a bit because of the experiences I’m picking up, but I still am Christine: an AMERICAN (as much as I sometimes hate owning up to) girl who is passionate about one too many things at any given moment…one who’s desire is to continue discovering these simple profoundums.

Anything profound being discovered on the home front? I’d love to hear!

2 comments:

Brittany Rae said...

Oh, Cris, I am so very glad that you take YOU wherever you go; and that Turkey has only changed you minimally. Or maybe it has "supplemented" to you, "refined" you?

Or, perhaps this is a profound thought (you tell me...). Perhaps Turkey has shown you more of who you are? Perhaps everyday we discover a bit more of ourselves, and even more so when the light of a different culture shines down on us. God knows us, but we, as G.K. Chesterton said, daily find that "...the self is more distant than any star."

I am glad, though, that you know you will end up crying with someone even a week after you meet them. And I'm glad the last time that happened, it was with me. Love you!

Christine Nichole said...

Brit, I think you're right... culture totally teaches us about ourselves. Because in those weak moments amidst another culture, we see how we cope, what we want, and what we feel like we need; all very important aspects of self-discovery. Thanks so much for commenting on my posts and for updating yourself with my trip! It means a lot.
And I'm also glad the last time I cried with someone I hardly knew was with you... we met almost a year ago exactly!