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True Self Reflection

This is something I wrote in the notes on my phone while riding on the bus through Taiwan to our next adventure. I did not know if  I wanted to share it, but after today I knew I should. Here are my true thoughts:

This trip has been incredibly eye opening in a way better than I could have ever imagined. Dr. Jih started out the trip saying this was more of a relaxed trip with a stronger importance placed on self reflection and internal thought than anything else. I think that studying and traveling abroad is something that everyone should do in their life but especially while young when trying to find your way.  The classes and experiences in my recent past such as dale Carnegie and the MTSU leadership class have helped lead me to discover this notion as well. Through all of this I have developed this deepened sense for a connection with every single human on planet either. I have never been one to be racist of one to judge those different than me, but this trip has completely reinforced my mindset that we are all the same deep down inside. We crave the same things, run from the same fears, and strive for the same greatness. The purpose of life is to serve, as Dr. Jih put it, and I am started to see the truth in this statement. As I reflect on my own life, I begin to think about the times when I have experienced the most joy and pure happiness. This was when I was in a state of selflessness and when I was surrounded by those I loved and that loved me too. It was the times when I was helping others to achieve greatness in their life. When I found someone who was down, and I helped them find a state of mind to stand back up and reach back for the dreams they always had. The purpose of life is not us, but for those around us. I am starting and trying to develop a new mindset that pushes me towards these types of haplessness and joy. Today I began writing a post card back to my boys in the Boro. The guys that will share the same roof with me for the next year and those that will share a year of their life with me. I want to set the stage of expeditions and connection that push towards the best year I've ever had in my life. With this new mindset of helping and serving others, I feel as if It is my duty to share some of these thoughts with my friends around me. Not everyone is fortunate enough to experience and see the world, and because of this I feel obligated to share these memories and thoughts with those around me. It would be selfish not to, and people would not truly know who I am if I did not. I have never felt like I've lived life so much as I am now. I am living in the moment and building intimate connections with those here and now. We're are adventuring in a foreign land with no responsibilities or fears. I am having this crazy revelation where I am beginning to see myself in ever other person. Kind of like that class saying, "put yourself in their shoes," but it is more than that. As I peer into the eyes of others I see their need for belonging, their strive for excellence, and their  wanting to be apart of something bigger and more important than themselves. Deep down we are all the same and think the same. The only difference is where we were born and how we grew up and the past experiences we've had. If you were them you would be doing the same thing. We all see the world through our own eye glass, and a person in the present is their past all rolled up into one TODAY. Some people have not discovered this or do not thing this way and I must keep this in mind as well. I am absolutely loving life right now and I can't wait to see what else unfolds for me on this unprecedented trip.

Cayman 7/19/17

A study abroad and a study within

Upon our arrival to our experience abroad in Taiwan, Dr. Jih spoke briefly in our introduction class and mentioned that this trip would and should be one of much self reflections. I took this notion to heart and have been diving into my brain and thoughts like a swimmer into water. During these moments of reflection I have come to the realization that I have developed a deep desire to learn and expand my perception of the world. By traveling to Taiwan, I have not stepped foot on six continents and over 20 countries (It's hard to keep track at this point). In doing so I have seen my perception and view of the world drastically change with each trip. As humans we have many preconceived notions of what we think this world is all about, and I think that by traveling to foreign lands we get to see what is right and wrong about these thoughts. Many of my hypothesis's have been correct, but many have been completely and utterly wrong. Sometimes in America we find ourselves surrounded by success and fame which causes us to feel as if were missing out or that we are unfortunate and lacking in our opportunities. Through traveling, I have come to the realization that I am so unimaginably luck to have been born into the life of immense opportunity and support that I was. The majority of the people around the world still struggle on a daily basis to obtain the needs for themselves, their family, and their community. In addition, what I have in the US, a car, a nice house, opportunity and money for education, great mentors, and supportive friends, is the dream and end goal of some many people of this crowded, yet not crowded, planet. After having some thoughts along these ideas, I have come to foster a great sense of thankfulness for all that I have and have been given. Not only have I reached a state of pure thankfulness for all this opportunity, but I have also developed a monumental motivation to utilize these opportunities to do all that I can do to help and change this world. It would be a shame to not make the most of something many can only dream of. I feel so grateful and thankful for all that life has provided me and showed me. Lets all together go do something big to make a difference.

Ted Talks

Throughout our business camp at CYCU, many of our lectures consisted of Ted Talks. I am a firm believer in Ted Talks, and I actually listen to them frequently in my spare time. My buddies and I actually volunteered at the TedX event in Nashville this past spring and were able to attend for free. Some of the Ted Talks we have listened to in class have been quite profound and eye opening. Today's Ted talk was especially intriguing, for it spoke about the personalities of human beings and why we have them. My favorite points from the talk were that we are all the same in that we are human and have normal human instinct. Then it proceeded to explain that we are all divided into two group of people ranging on a scale: extroverts and introverts. Lastly the speaker enlightened us with the fact that each and everyone of us is completely unique as a human being as well. We all have completely different backgrounds and experiences that shape who we are, relationships with the people around us, and issues that we deal with and solve. I loved when the speaker went into more details about the exact differences between introverts and extroverts. Extroverts like to get straight to the point and just say what they're thinking even if it might be controversial. Introverts like to get a point across in more articulate fashion that might be less intrusive with their words. Extroverts are also more outgoing and like to communicate and connect with humans at all times in an intimate manner. They enjoy social scenes where the energy and excitement is high. Introverts like to have some alone time to let their brain think more clearly. They enjoy more relaxed scenes and communication with less people. I think that all humans lie upon a spectrum between extroversion and introversion, and I believe that I am somewhere near the middle and lean maybe more towards an extrovert.

Week two of class

This week we had a sufficient amount of class each morning and afternoon and got into some pretty deep stuff. I have enjoyed this class because it has been a lot about life and the world we live in today. In addition to who technology is changing this world. What I have liked most is all the discussion about your life mindset and how to live happily each and every day.

Day 6

Day 6 was very unique. We got to visit a big science center that was basically an individual community within itself. PhD's and Master degree holders from all over the world are recruited to come to this center to work on some of the most innovative and futuristic projects known to man. This same complex played a major role in the creation and development of the Iphone as well. During this excursion we got to tour the museum that displayed some of the projects they were working on that year. It was fascinating.

After this trip we had really fun night out on the town. We had no scheduled events with the class so a group of us went to the board game house and decided to give the escape room a try. Although these are quite popular in America, I have never done one. This was a little more difficult though because I can barely speak any Chinese. The whole game and all the instructions were in Chinese... but with the help of a few of the CYCU students we completed two rooms and did a fantastic job. We learned a lot about team work and the difficulties that language barriers can present.

Day 4 and 5: Our first weekend

7/15 - 7/16

We woke up early Saturday morning for our first cultural trip. On this day our first stop was Yehliu Geopark, and it was beyond gorgeous. After stumbling onto the bus in the morning, I quickly fell back asleep but woke up just as we were arriving at the first site. As we winded down the mountains towards the ocean and what looked like a mountainous peninsula, my heart was beginning to race. I could the the beauty of what we were about to explore get closer and closer. The bus reached its parking space and came to an abrupt stop as half the students were already on their feet ready to check out the surroundings. Yehliu was a beautiful national park that was famous for the "Queen's Head" and the exotic terrain. We all had an hour and a half to explore this place, but it turned out not to be enough. As the time to embark to our next location was getting close, Sandy and I were hiking out to the end of the Peninsula with a mission to reach the end. I expected to make it to a pretty amazing view, but something quite extraordinary greeted us at the end. We found a platform about ten feet off the ground with a sketchy ladder for climbing up on to it. On top of that was a concrete pole about 5 feet in diameter that held your classic revolving old school light house on the top. I looked around to see if anyone was watching and then said, "Hey! lets climb to the top." We were so glad we did because the view was one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. We were the only ones brave enough to hike to the end and were rewarded with a fantastic hidden treasure. Upon climbing down we had to run back to the bus to make it in time before it left.