Great Expectations

One thing we have talked about a few times as a Beyond Borders group is expectations. It's hard not to have them when embarking on a journey such as this. You picture it in your head like it will be this mind-blowing, earth-shattering, epiphany-causing experience. But what if it isn't? What if it's just another summer on a long list of summers? You have to find a way to balance these two extremes. It's hard if not impossible to hold no expectations at all, but you don't want to get so carried away with expectations that you miss experiences while in your host country or, worse, end up disappointed when things don't turn out the way you hoped they would. I don't feel that I have been having too much difficulty keeping my expectations in check. This might have something to with the fact that, even though my flight is less than four weeks away, it still doesn't seem real. I have no delusions that my summer will be perfect, filled with nothing but rainbows and butterflies. I also don't think it will be a pit of darkness and despair. I expect to be disappointed and frustrated at times, and to get fed up with a world full of unfamiliar things. I also expect to love working with the children, learning Spanish, and experiencing a new culture. In many ways, I really don't know what to expect, and maybe that's safer. Hopefully that will ensure I am not caught off guard by mismanaged expectations.