Right now I'm pretty high. As in 2,000 feet above New England.
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| Cue the Vampire Weekend. |
Over the past three months, I've gotten to travel to new places, meet new people, and step into new roles. I feel as if I've been given a new pair of glasses and the Big Chalkboard of Life looks a little different now. My perspective has changed. What's important has shifted. While the future does seem clearer, I also now see that all the knowledge and planning I've stenciled out on that chalkboard can be erased in a blink. Nothing is concrete.
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| What's a public relations conference without a photo booth? |
Living in Mountain View and interning at Coursera flew by. I got to participate in media training, work one-on-one with the company's international PR agencies, give the CEO feedback on his interviews with journalists, moderate an All Hands meeting Q&A, and, of course, write, write, write! One of the most notable achievements of the summer, however, may have been during my second to last day on the job, when my weekly dive bar trivia team -- appropriately named Khaaan Academy!!! -- finally won. It's the little things, you know?
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| We Courserians were a pretty tough crew. |
As I write this, I'm soaring over Canada en route to Portland. Along with the five other student board members of the University of Oregon's Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) chapter, I got to spend the past four days in the beautiful city of Boston. Or rather, Bahhhston. We were at the National PRSSA Conference along with a few thousand fellow aspiring PR pros and another whole conference of PRSA members, a.k.a. established PR pros. It's been a whirlwind of handshakes, business card exchanges and strategic chit chat. Luckily, we also got a chance to explore the city a bit.
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| Touring the PR agency Cone Communications before visiting Paul Revere. |
When I was six, my family took a trip to New England. My parents had the goal of showing my brothers and me all 50 states, so we swept through America's historical corner one summer vacation. Akin to going back to your former elementary school, Grandma's old house or seeing a TV show from back in the day, it's a little surreal. Wandering around North Boston along parts of the Freedom Trail, I had flickers of that childhood visit almost three quarters of my lifetime ago.
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| Make way for ducklings! |
The feeling that often surfaces upon returning to previously visited places became a theme for me over the past few months. It's not quite deja vu. It's not quite reminiscing. It's revisiting a place that hasn't really changed, but I have. Boston still has the famous Paul Revere statue. I now know the difference between the Civil and Revolutionary Wars. Lakes Tahoe and Pinecrest still have rustic beauty. I now feel how fleeting that nature may be. San Francisco still has Twin Peaks. I now have the corrective lenses of experience, observation and personal passion (plus maybe a little Warby Parker) to know where I do, and don't, want to be in five years, be that geographically, professionally or personally.
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| Flying away on Twin Peaks. |
Perspective is a gift for which I'm thankful. I'm thankful to my family, friends, mentors, colleagues and peers for collectively providing me with it. I've thought for a long time I got the big picture. The only thing I get now is that I don't get it. You only learn how much you have to learn. Nothing is concrete.
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| A trip to the Oregon Coast during my one week of summer vacation. |
This winter I'll be hopping back across the pond to visit several people I haven't seen face to face in quite some time. My health and my relationships are two monumental things I have right now. That I get. I hope anyone who'll be in Europe this winter who'd like to reconnect reaches out. The past few months I've had a number of reunions, both with people I hadn't seen for three weeks as well as those I hadn't seen in three years, and all of those reunions feel like coming home.
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| Too many to include. |
Maybe it's because I haven't spent more than two consecutive weeks in my hometown since high school or maybe those German philosophy books are getting to me, but my concept of home has evolved. The word "home" is a structure that provides protection and support to the person surrounded by it. My home is where I'm protected and supported by the people who surround me, both emotionally and physically. After living in seven different houses over the course of four months, it's clear that people can also be just as transitory as apartments. Love, perspective and tradition can be found in the house I live in for fifty years as well as the Airbnb where I spend a month. The now must be made beautiful, meaningful and memorable. Nothing is concrete.