Dreams change. Hopes change.

When I “grow up”,

As an elementary student, I wanted to be a teacher.
As a middle school kid, I wanted to be a writer.
As a high school kid, I wanted to be a humanitarian aid activist.
As a college student, I wanted to become a conflict resolution expert in the Middle East, with a focus on refugee issues.

Dreams change. Hopes change.
And then there’s reality – which is the biggest change.

“Grown up” now and 2 years out of college,
I’m grateful for the opportunity I’ve had to teach English to kids (fun for the most part), and I’m really grateful for this learning experience in journalism.

I’m not sure where all these turn of events will take me –
further down the road in journalism or media-
or perhaps a sudden U-turn elsewhere,
but I really hope I end up in humanitarian aid and conflict resolution somewhere along my timeline,
however long it may take.

 

Nablus, Palestine / October 2012
photo courtesy of Dal-lim Hwang