The Foreign Service Journal, June 2015

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JUNE 2015 101 I didn’t worry about her postponing her studies. I was fully supportive of this idea and thought it would help give her some perspective on her life, as well as providing some challenges. The experience gave her the opportunity to be away from familiar and reliable surround- ings and helped to develop her vision for the next steps in her life. —Melissa Coskuner, State Department Words of Wisdom from a Gap-Year Parent BC: I don’t think there was anything I wished I had brought, but didn’t. I brought everything I needed from the list that was supplied. I ended up buying some local Kenyan fabric and had some long pants and shorts made for casual wear. FLO: Now that your gap year is over, how have you been able to use the knowl- edge you gained? BC: Since this was the first time I lived away from my family, I learned to be self-sufficient and gained greater independence. It really helped me to learn about myself and what I was capa- ble of doing. This experience increased my self-confidence and my abilities by taking me out of my comfort zone. I learned to rely on myself, and gained an appreciation for the things I took for granted in my life. FLO: Finally, in what ways do you think you have grown both personally and academically as a result of taking a gap year?