Icarus vs. Hestia: Longing vs. Belonging

At this stage in my life, I feel that I identify more with Icarus in that I have a need to explore the world and what it has to offer.  This is definitely a feeling that I’m sure many college students have, especially ones that are nearing graduation.

In high school, life was more about getting good grades and spending most of my time at home, or around my hometown.  I had much more centered view of the world.  Looking back, it seems that every action I took was gearing me toward the “college experience” and what school I wanted to apply to.  While I didn’t get into the number one school of my choice, I decided to enroll at CSU Chico, a decision I can say I have never really regretted (well, except for a couple months freshman year while adjusting to the dorms!).  The longing to experience something other than my normal, day-to-day life became a lot stronger as the months went by during my freshman and sophomore years at Chico State. 

An entirely new sense of adventure inspired me at the end of sophomore year when I decided to study abroad for the entire summer in London.  I wanted to see other countries, meet new people from different backgrounds, and experience things that I couldn’t in the United States.  This was the most exciting opportunity I have ever gotten, and it instilled in me a broader world view and gave me the infamous “travel bug” of wanting to see everything the world has to offer. 

As graduation looms on the horizon for me, I have a new “longing” – to experience things in the career world, instead of the comfortable college life I’ve gotten used to.  I am scared, but also excited to see where my life takes me from here.  I know that I don’t want to sit around at home like Hestia did.  I want to spread my wings like Icarus and take a leap, no matter where I might go.