I was walking up the stairwell of our triple-decker apartment the other day when a familiar scent hit me. I racked my brain, desperately trying to figure out when I first encountered it, and then I remembered…
It was the same scent from my first day in Boston, the day my co-fellows and I arrived from our training in Yale with about half a dozen bags in tow, wide-eyed and eager for the life that awaits us.
I walked to my room and plopped on my bed, intoxicated by nostalgia. I stared at the reverse calendar on my wall and just couldn’t believe it.
…In five days, my roommates and I will welcome the new fellows to the Boston GHC house.
…In ten days, I’ll be off to Uganda to meet the rest of my co-fellows, some of whom I haven’t seen for more than a year.
…In about two weeks, I will officially become a GHC alumna.
I barely have time to catch my breath, and I do not know whether to say “yikes” or “yay” about my situation. For now, all I know is that I have to embrace the inevitable, painful feeling one gets when something beautiful is ending.
Or perhaps it doesn’t have to hurt… much.
After all, aren’t endings also beginnings? I may be counting my last few days as a current fellow, but joining the movement with other young leaders who are passionate about promoting health equity is something worth looking forward to.
It has truly been a year of interesting discoveries, and apart from the days, I can’t stop counting are the many blessings I’ve received through the fellowship. Despite the many challenges I’ve faced throughout, I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity given to me to serve as a GHC fellow.