I’m not a blogger!
Hello to anyone reading this! My name is Carly Rockwell and I am NOT a blogger. Well… at least I have never been a blogger before today. Writing may not be my favorite activity in the world, but I can’t wait to share the highlights, epiphanies, and adventures that will surely come along on this experience of a lifetime.
What is going on?
That was my first thought on the evening of January 8th when I received a cryptic TEXT MESSAGE from Dr. Pitcock kindly demanding that I go check my email. Obviously I pulled up my email immediately, because… who isn’t going to follow directions when the Assistant Dean of the Honors College TEXTS YOU out of the blue! In my inbox I found an apparently automated message leading to a website where I finally learned that I was one of the “lucky sixteen” that would be going on the adventure that is Cultural Routes.
That text from Dr. Pitcock may have seemed random and unexpected to me, but I now realize that I should have had that day, January 8th, marked on my calendar from the moment I submitted my Cultural Routes application as the day that I would learn if I would be having the adventure of a lifetime this summer. I have been thinking about why I didn’t have that day marked on a calendar, or at least in my mind, and have come to the conclusion that I was enjoying being present in the moments I had back home, not worrying about what was going on outside of Colorado.
I recognize that losing track of the rest of the world isn’t always a good thing, but that is actually one of my goals while on Cultural Routes. I want to be in the moment absorbing the places and people around me, not focussed on what is happening 5,000 miles away back home. My intention in this experience is to make the most of every second we have, to invest in the people around me and the things that we are doing, and to not allow my attention to get pulled away from the moments we have and connections we make.
Does Dr. Pitcock know me better than I do?
The first two of our Cultural Routes meetings have gone as follows: introductions, Dr. P telling us how much he knows about us, dinner, Dr. Pitcock writing in his “black book” about every conversation we have, hearing from some incredible CR Alumni, Dr. P reminding us he knows more about us than we know about ourselves, new info on the adventure that awaits us, and ultimately goodbyes.
This may be a BIT of an exaggeration of how often we are reminded that Dr. P is incredibly diligent in his research into the sixteen students that he takes on this experience, but his insight is how he guides this adventure to much of its success.
While Dr. Pitcock may know far too much about me, I thought it was important to share a little about me for those who don’t have access to his “black book” full of secret information. My full name is Carlynn Mesa Rockwell (yes, my middle name does mean “table” in Spanish). I have one soon-to-be married sister who is eight years older than me (who knew that wedding planning was so all-consuming?). I love to run and hike, I sing ALL THE TIME, and I am one of the two gluten free people on this trip (shout out to my fellow celiac). I’m generally a straight shooter, except when it comes to conflict, and I always try to have a smile on my face. Deep and meaningful relationships are very important to me and I can’t wait to connect with everyone on Cultural Routes!
May 13th can’t come soon enough!
I can barely contain my excitement about Cultural Routes, and I can’t wait to finally see Dr. P waiting for all of us at Starbucks in Berlin on May 13th!
Thank you for taking part in my very first blogging experience. I am excited to have a place to share highlights, adventures and thoughts from my constantly jabbering internal monologue. Who knows, there might be a blogger in me yet?
Carly Rockwell
Cultural Routes 12 