A peek into how this blog was created
Step 1: I read all the other blogs from CR 12 members
Step 2: I basked in their glory
Step 3: I realized that I had no plan for my blog
Step 4: I Google Image searched ‘creativity’ to get me going
Step 5: I found this inspiring picture of sheep wearing space helmets
Step 6: I disregarded sheep picture and prayed for divine inspiration to write something decent
Step 7: I started typing away 🙂
So let’s get real
Hello, it’s me, Austin Farr. As you can tell by the title to this post, my last name has incredible pun potential, and I have made the decision to milk it for everything it’s worth.
I am originally from Georgia, but I’ve moved so many times that I’ve lived in 6 houses and gone to 8 schools. If this were a college application, I’d gush about how much this process changed me and made me the man I am today. However, lucky for you, this isn’t a college application, so I’ll spare you. The long story made short is this: change is hard and doesn’t necessarily get easier, but you have to embrace it and make the most of each situation.
In other news, I have an incredibly devious but adorable dog named Daisy, and I force everyone I love to see a picture of her at LEAST once a month. So here you go:
I also have an incredible sister named Savannah. While I don’t force my friends to routinely look at pictures of her, I do love her very much. She and I are different, but I look up to her a lot in so many different ways.
A little bit more
I imagine that summarizing yourself is a challenging task for everyone, but I especially struggle with this. I can describe many different aspects of myself, but I don’t have one overarching role. I’m not the quiet friend, but I’m not the loud one. I’m not necessarily the comedian, but I do love to have a good laugh. I’m not the oozing optimist, but I’m definitely not the debbie-downer either. I don’t say this to describe myself as a personality-less brick, I just don’t have a specific category I can fall back on. If it tells you anything, I’ve taken the Enneagram test 3 times, and I’ve gotten 3 different results each time.
I do love researching, thinking, and arguing (politely and non-intrusively, of course) about everything from science to politics to philosophy to religion. If you don’t believe me, ask me about the age of the earth, the Green New Deal, or Nihilism. I don’t love arguing because I enjoy confrontation (which I don’t, really). I just enjoy logic, thinking and articulating ideas. Debating and discussing these issues forces you to do all of the above.
For some shallower stuff, I love musicals and movies with deep storylines (Les Miserables, Dear Evan Hansen, etc.). I love photography and photo editing with PhotoShop and LightRoom. I love adventuring and collecting fun memories and stories. I also enjoy lighting tennis balls on fire and playing with them, but I will refrain from doing so for the duration of Cultural Routes.
Cultural Routes
I actually first heard about CR about a year ago, never imagining that I’d be sitting here as a member of CR12. I went to presentations, pecha kuchas, and all that good stuff, and I found it hard to listen to a member of a previous CR and not get excited about it. None of their experiences were exactly identical because they had different starting points and perspectives. Yet, every single person I talked to spoke of immense growth and change in CR. Since coming to college, I’ve constantly been learning about what it means to ‘grow’. By no means have I solved the magical equation for growth, and I don’t expect to find it on Cultural Routes. However, in CR, I saw an opportunity to learn and grow among incredible people in an incredible place, and I decided that I wanted to give my all in pursuit of that opportunity.
The application process for CR is a fond memory of staying up ridiculously late and coughing my lungs out due to pneumonia. To be honest, I never expected to get selected for CR. I did do my absolute best on my application, but I just didn’t think I’d get it, statistically. I was in complete shock at the news for at least a 24 hour period. Needless to say, I was and still am thrilled to be a part of such an incredible experience. While I can’t predict everything I will see and learn throughout the process, I plan to keep my eyes and ears wide open along the journey. I have come to understand that growth doesn’t just happen to you. It’s a choice. I plan to choose to grow, and you get to come along for the journey!
What You Can Expect From My Blog
This is going to be a place where I will routinely document the whole experience! Through pictures, stories, and probably long ramblings, you will get to hear exactly what I’m learning and experiencing. While I can’t claim to be a poet, I can promise to do my best to capture my honest thoughts and experiences. If you’re interested in that, then please join me as we go Farr away!
Cultural Routes 12 