D.C…..
Two letters of English Alphabet, two letters as an abbreviation from Washington D.C., my bike…
For me, it is more than two letters… The city where I serve at host organization the mission which positions itself as not just the “exchange program”, this is a “life changing program”. The city where I ride my D.C. bike in different conditions (under the rain, in the sunny weather, from home to host organization, from library to a meeting).
The city where you can learn every day, every minute and every moment not to give up and move forward no matter the odds. Once I was lost, under the rain, freezing, almost wet, somewhere between North West and North East in D.C. There were two choices: the first one – to give up and go home somehow using a paper map and phone with a slow battery, secondly – to take a challenge and continue my way of exploring a new… Yes, I have chosen the second option: to move forward and get to know what would wait for me just around the corner.
D.C. is not just a city or bike, or two letter from the English Alphabet. The meaning of them is deeper and stronger as we could imagine at first sight. While preparing some paper for my host organization “Youth for Understanding”, I read one quote by L. Robert Kohls: “Living in the foreign culture is like playing a game you’ve never played before when the rules haven’t been explained very well. The challenge is to enjoy the game without missing too many plays, learning the rules and developing skills as you go along.”
So, let us play the game which this Universe presents to us while living in the foreign country, speaking a different language, challenging each other to achieve, sharing kindnesses and helping people.
What we should do, just move forward: because our “life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” (Albert Einstein).
And remember some simple signs or letters could mean more than we think before…
P.S. I am very proud to be at Atlas Corps Fellow. Thanks to Atlas Corps and Youth for Understanding for a chance to bring changes in this World.
Evening biking near Waterfront…
YFU… changing-life program