February 5, 2024

Take a Chill Pill

My last day in Hampi was a bit of a mess. I was just beginning to get sick, but I convinced myself that I still had to go out. Specifically, a 575-staired hike to the top of a hill. In retrospect, this was a bad idea. Sure, I had fun watching Taekyung get her water bottle stolen by a monkey but nothing else went well. I was in a haze, huffing and puffing, coughing, panting, and sitting down every five minutes. By the top of the hill, I was dead. I plopped down only to see the rest of the GCIL members getting up to leave. And when I finally got a view of the sunset, all I thought was, “Ehh, not worth it.” While this does not sound like a big realization, it was for me. So far my time in GCIL has been busy every second. If I’m not busy with the program or with work, I am always pushing myself to go out, walk around, and see something. I would tell myself, “Hey you are only here once; why not do something?” Looking back, this was not a good mindset. I am always exhausted, and it’s probably part of the reason I sick. That’s why I am thankful for that rough hike; it was the best evidence I needed for taking a chill pill. So in the future, I am going to try and stay back, relax, and get better. Yeah, this will probably be tough for me to do, but with this new sickness I have, I think it will be pretty easy for me to stay back and relax during my free time.

By Adam