"3......2......1......IMAGINE" - a reflection by Kartik

Embarking on this journey, my oh my. Little did I know what I had in store for me. Disneyland. Noun. Trademark. A large amusement park in Anaheim, California: prototypical theme park. Here’s what I say to that: Not good enough. Here’s my definition. Disneyland (n): A place where imagination takes over, capturing the essence of your inner child, the feeling of adrenaline infused with passion, ready to burst out in jubilation!

Yes! The magic of Disneyland, we’re finally here! After an agonizing wait period, and sleepless nights of anticipation, we made it. Student Council has arrived. From the intricate, minuscular details to the largest, splendorous, simple ideas, the Disneyland Youth Education Series harboured it all. I learned a variety of new concepts at these workshops. Visionaries, Imagineers, Youth Leaders come across a multitude of obstacles in their paths. One of the core values that I learned was that there will always, always be someone who will say that you aren’t good enough, or that your ideas won’t work. Use this not as a setback, but as encouragement, motivation, take that stride of ambition and believe. You may have to think outside the box, you may have to use wit beyond measure; you may also need a strong group of people – leaders. And I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people. 

Over this journey, I got to know so many new people, and developed stronger connections with the ones I already knew. Normally, I would just say a greeting to these people whenever I see them, I didn’t really know them, but this trip has allowed me to break free out of this small comfort zone, and has allowed me to become acquainted with, become friends with these people – more than friends, family. One of the things that I am truly grateful for taking away is the memories, the laughs, the pains of walking, and the daily dehydration of the incandescent sun. Paying $3.00 for a water bottle, multiple times a day, is a mistake some would say. Carelessness. I call it, a learning experience! Because when you come to Disneyland, you leave all your worries behind, and take on an adventure, learning new and enriching, and insightful knowledge that you would often miss when in the real world. So walk a little slower, as they try to catch your eye. Sometimes it’s so hard to see, the good things passing by. Imaginations hold no limit on us. They only allow us to embrace the impossible, or as we learned I’m Possible. Walking into Disneyland tomorrow, dictionary in hand, there would be no room for the world finite.  Because infinite would be written all over it.