Nine Reasons

I am not really the sentimental type. Growing up with brothers has toughened me in many ways:the sphere of emotion is one such place where this is very evident. I have learned to not cling to the things I treasure: friends, places, or memories. They must be allowed to exist as is--to be kept in a dear place in one's mind and heart and not crumpled in the stranglehold of a person desperate to trap them and preserve them from change. Ironically enough, the tighter one holds onto something or someone, the more likely it is to slip away, or warp to an unrecognizable shape--a mere echo of what used to be.

I came to Greece without expectations: I was ready to experience whatever the Lord would bring my way without any prejudices one way or the other (and good thing too because nothing could have prepared me for these past two weeks). Ever since I arrived here and began exploring the city, I have not been able to keep my eyes inside of my head--there is so much to see and to experience. Every single day I woke to the blazing Grecian summer sun, has been saturated in blessing and moments with nine peers that I could not have even had imagined would mean so much to me. To see Maura's eyes light with child-like excitement when she was able to see the pottery shard that supported her research, to laugh with Joe, the souvlaki connoisseur, as he brightens all of our days with his goofiness, to bond with Lizzie over a late night run in our beloved Nafplio, to explore the shopping district and escape the schemings of a conman with Caroline, to relax and chat with Claire about our life goals over cups of gelato, to chat with Emma when I was fresh off my trans-Atlanic flight about the adventures that lied ahead of us, to scold Tyler about leaving rocks in his foot while being a future pre-med-er, to shop with Brittany for the perfect complete set of jewelry, to persuade McKenzie (by threatening to sit on her) to come out with the rest of us: these are the things recorded in the pages of the diary of my heart that will remain with me for the rest of my days. These crazy zany kids who will sing "I Will Go The Distance" in the ruins of Argos' Athena temple, or eat gyros for every day for seven days straight have touched my life in ways I never would have guessed. Yes, we will change after this trip,we won't be able to shout down the hallway for each other, and we will go our separate ways, but I for the rest of my life I will remember the summer of 2013 with fondness. After all, I have nine reasons that made this time unforgettable--they are pictured below.