I know I posted yesterday, but I feel like what I posted was much more oriented towards what we were doing as opposed to how we were (and have been) doing.

This morning at breakfast a few of us started talking over toast and raisin bran about what really makes a trip great. We kept lobbing ideas off each other, ‘why is this trip turning out to be such a positive experience?’ It wasn’t an incredibly deep conversation (it had that I-just-woke-up-and-didn’t-get-enough-sleep-but-I-feel-like-having-a-conversation-anyway vibe) it was just something at least the three of us had been pondering over the past few days.

Then someone said it. “I feel like a trip goes like this: first it’s who you’re with, next it’s what you do, and finally it’s where you are.”

Suddenly it made sense. It doesn’t matter that I’m not in Spain or Ghana or Thailand (although that’s still freaking awesome) it matters that I’m with a group of folks that meshes and collaborates fabulously.

I had my reservations about staying in the States. Before I left for Senior Projects all I could really think about was how stupid I was for not signing up for the trip to go to Spain (flamenco dancing is so cool– and so is Spanish food) and how dumb I was for passing up the chance to go to Ghana (both to be someplace warm and to have the experience of a lifetime).

But I’ve never been good at travelling. I freak myself out at the last minute, I come home early, I get homesick, and I don’t pause to really experience what’s around me. I get in this horrible negative mood, I’m antisocial. Anyone back at Westtown would probably jump back in shock at that (I’m not generally known as a quiet and negative person… I hope) but it’s the truth (seriously, ask my parents).

And here, I’ve done exactly the opposite of what I usually do. So far I have yet to experience that weird pit in my chest that suggests homesickness, and I most certainly have not been sitting around all day, just waiting for the trip to end (like I usually do).

I know it’s only been four days, and that’s kind of a pathetic amount of time to be saying this, but I think I’ve changed. I feel like all the times I’ve travelled before (with a few exceptions, of course) have been preludes to this particular trip.

I just needed practice. Now I feel like I can go places and really experience them–I mean really be there– in a way I never have before.

But maybe it’s too soon to tell.