I’m writing my final blog on my final flight of this trip. Being on this flight I have so many emotions right now. I am happy to see my family and friends when I land, I am sad to be leaving so many great people that I have met on this trip that I can now call my friends. Another emotion is that I am confused. I am confused because I want to know what my next step is. I loved this trip so much that I feel that I am not doing enough in my own community as well as others. This trip has really made me look back at life to make sure I am living it to the fullest. Being in Yunnan, I took every risk possible no matter the category and I don’t want to stop that just because I am comfortable or scared of being judged. I ate a cricket, for pete’s sake! LOL. Nothing gets more uncomfortable than that.
This trip has really made me look back at life to make sure I am living it to the fullest.
One of the themes that stuck out during my trip was the four harmonious friends: an elephant, a rabbit, a monkey and a bird. Who would’ve thought these animals would have become friends? Yeah, I know, but that’s not the point. The point of this picture, which was in almost every historic building/scenery we went to, is that these friends had to come together to get their goal — fruit on a tree. Every animal had its reason as to why this tree with the fruit was their tree but all of them were wrong except one animal, the bird. Every animal said something along the lines of, “this was my tree because I saw it when it was just a shrub” or something very similar. However the bird shut everyone up by saying “this is my tree because I’m the one who ate the seed and pooped it out and that is what made it grow”. The bird is at the top to get the fruit because of his comment meaning he is the oldest out of the four friends so they must respect him.
This painting stood out to me because as I head back to my team, somehow it’s just hitting me that I am a senior which means obviously I am one of the oldest. I am also carrying on a new role through my team that does not have to do with playing because I have faced a lot of injuries as a basketball player. Therefore, I have to focus on what I say to everyone rather than leading by an example. I looked at the painting as each class representing an animal within the painting like freshman at the bottom just like the elephant while seniors were at the top just like the bird. The bird earned his respect by his words of wisdom and as I take on this new challenge with my team I hope to give them words of wisdom as well.