A Farewell Letter: Goodbye and Hello

With less than 24-hours away from check-in, I am a bit nervous, anxious, excited, and overwhelmed (in a good way). My summer 2011 plans will mark another consecutive summer of international travel, exploration, and substantial inquiry. I am approaching my trip this summer in a different manner, whereby, I'm entering unexplored space and undiscovered territory as a rising scholar (i.e. Graduate Student), social justice advocate, cultural consumer, and critical observer.

It's amazing to think about my personal prayers that spoke to an experience as such, where I could affect positive change through proactive engagement on the international stage. 2-years later, I am able to do just that! Wow, "incredible" is the most appropriate foreshadowing term for what's to come in the next few months.

My journey this summer will not be in vain. I will use my lens to extrapolate useful rhetoric, strategies, skills, and tools from other countries in order to help advance my egalitarian mission of contributing to the elimination of the social ills that plague many U.S. communities. With that said, I end my first post with a compelling quote I discovered prior to the creation of this blog. It's only appropriate that I share the textual gem..."The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes" (Marcel Proust).

Friends, colleagues, family, and those who I may not formally know, I invite you to vicariously explore, appreciate, and embrace the concept of new ideas that influence our conventional ways of thinking. To that end, stay blessed and look forward to a refreshing perspective and unique interpretation from yours truly.

-T. Range