Earth Shaking Revelation

Daring to study abroad was one of the most exciting ventures that I have ever experienced, but if someone would have told me that I would walk away with major epiphanies, I would have seriously laughed right in their face. Typically, stories of travel and globetrotting can either leave others with the travel bug, or with people standing there awkwardly because they are tired of looking at your pictures. This story though is one of how a tiny, resilient city, eight thousand miles from my hometown, led me to my lifelong career. 

See, Christchurch, New Zealand was a place which was absolutely stricken by disaster, right after a massive earthquake struck the city center in 2011. Even though that was nearly a decade ago, the devastation still affects members of the community today.  You would imagine that rubble would not still have a presence on the streets of one of the most beautiful countries in the world, but things aren't always how they seem to be. Due to building codes, city ordinances, and other legislation, some of the areas that need help the most, have gone without. 

As for me, I was able to be involved in the project due to a course offered by my university, called Strengthening Communities through Social Innovation. This course allowed international students, like me, to become involved with the community in order to volunteer with organizations that were underserved. A lot of our volunteerism was put forth to organizations that housed urban gardens, organized beach cleanups, and worked with families who needed minor home repairs from the small earthquakes that still occur. While those were all fascinating opportunities, I was put into contact with an absolutely phenomenal organization called Recreate New Zealand. 

While I attempted to do my research, I still had no clue what I was getting myself into. For instance, my first involvement with the organization happened to be me co-leading a trip. This "trip" was comprised of two young female women aspiring to be therapists (one from rural Tennessee & the other from South Africa), eight teenagers with a range of disabilities, a twelve-passenger van, and five hours on the road to the coolest beach town in New Zealand. 

After a weekend of interacting, learning, leading, wanting to cry, laughing, cooking, and traveling.. I can honestly say that it could have been the most inspiring weekend of my life. This organization had a mission of promoting recreational experiences for young adults. We saw penguins waddle home from their day of feeding, witnessed a seal jump into the crowds of people, and we ate some of the best fish-N-chips in town. After all of that adventure, I realized that not only was I creating an experience for these teenagers, but they created one for me as well. 

Being a student at the University of Tennessee had given me the knowledge and professional opportunities to decide that I wanted to be a therapist. After this weekend of a lifetime, I found absolute confidence in my decision to become an Occupational Therapist. I had found something that I was truly passionate about, and here I am two years later, diving further into that passion. 

I've learned that the biggest decisions of your life aren't always going to smack you in the face, even though it was definitely an earth-shaking revelation in this case. This experience also taught me firsthand, that the resilience of a community and a pinch of your curiosity can take you on a road that you may have never imagined.