So it begins

Hey everyone,

I have been here at Princeton for six days now, and in such a short time, orientation has already taught us a few things. Let's get straight to the point though: only a few days ago I decided to follow Scott's, Bridge Year Program associate director, advice on keeping a blog. I expect it will make keeping in touch with friends and family a lot more practical, but it also plays a very important role in digesting the potentially confusing experiences we will face in the next 9 months. Hopefully it will also become enjoyable for you all along the way, because you're definitely going to be helping me!

An idea some of us Bridge Year students came up during orientation: instead of always taking pictures of ourselves, we got stuffed animals to represent Princeton and our group. Props to Brett Diehl, Zach Ogle and Andres Parrado!

There you have it! No name yet; we'll figure that part out when we get to Ghana.

The Bridge Year Program is open for 20 incoming freshman to Princeton University to go on a gap year, a "Bridge year", doing service abroad. There are currently four options of destination: India, Serbia, Peru, and Ghana, each with different aspects to the service, language, and homestay experiences. It is quite an innovative program, only on its second year, but already succeeding in defining part of the University's profile. For more information on the Program, and monthly updates from the field, take a look at http://www.princeton.edu/bridgeyear/

Orientation was a mixture of meeting great friends for the next five years, getting some coaching on leadership, service and cultural learning, and how to approach our time in a foreign country.Thanks to the BYP for the great days here, John Luria, Scott Leroy and Lily Akol! Talking to our Group Leaders, in our case Yaw Gyamfi, and the very first Bridge Year alums, Cole Freeman representing Ghana, got me even more anxious to get on the plane. Anecdotes from Cole and Kathleen, another present alum from Ghana, were very much exciting, but my mind just could not rightly picture fishermen's canoes covered in cellphone provider ads, or what it feels like to stand out in the crowd as oburoni, or a person with lighter skin.

The thought that immediately comes to mind after orientation is not to rely on preconceived expectations. As Cole said, we may feel over-prepared now, but as soon as we get to Ghana, the feeling that arises is still that of being completely lost. Luckily, there will be four companions in a similar situation, Ryan, Cam, Lindsay and Pallavi, as well as Yaw, a Ghanaian who already treats us as brothers. Even though the point of doing such a different trip is to move away from your comfort zone, and learn from the challenges faced, I'm sure there is a pretty warm safety net for this journey.

Ghana Group

Though I've gone back and forth in my mind of what to try to accomplish, what to expect, and how to apply the experiences from Ghana, no previous experience of mine was as intense as this one ought to be. I've come to embrace the possibility that to go in a state of devotion, without expectations on what to see and what to get in return, will be the way to learn the most from what is to come.

I absolutely can't wait to start learning Twi, and hopefully to be able to pass (linguistically) as someone who has been for some time in Ghana. The main component of our trip though, the service project, is one of the greatest challenges that lies ahead. We were told repeatedly to go with a lot of flexibility and no expectation to save the world in nine months, but what I believe the real challenge will be is to continue motivated on a daily basis, while striving to create an impact that will sustain itself when we leave. Although I want to first visit the different organizations that need volunteer help in Accra, I plan to work on some placement that involves the public sector, maybe with water or energy distribution and efficiency.

Being a Brazilian, I have some vague conception of what it is like for a country to face the challenges of being a developing nation. I expect Ghana will provide a much broader view at that, and probably even harsher. One of the reasons I decided to go the Bridge Year, was I felt the opportunity to go to Princeton was so unique, I had to use the resources presented in ways to benefit more people. Hopefully this experience will allow me to incorporate that way of thought into my life.

There is just so much about the program I haven't touched on, such as the homestay, Ghanaian culture and living in a village, but we're off to the airport in about an hour, so I will be sure to update on that, when we are in Accra. 

One last thought: we spent just enough time on campus so that it already feels a little bit like home. One of the best things about Bridge Year, and this is a consensus among all 20 of us, is that after this adventure, a four year one begins at Princeton.

(insert some catchy farewell in Twi here),

Henrique