Hello Everyone!

Hello everyone! My name is Adrian Mata, and I currently live in San Francisco. I go to Gateway High School, and I’m going to be a Senior next year; I’m both excited and nervous for next year!

I decided to accept this opportunity and go along with GG this summer to get out of my little comfort zone. Haven’t made too many friends these past years, and socializing is a challenge. Given how I haven’t done too much to help myself, I’ve made the decision to give myself the push I need by going along on this trip! Seeing your friendly faces and reading your kind words has brought me much reassurance and makes me less nervous for this trip. I can’t wait to meet all of you!

I don’t participate in a whole lot of hobbies, but the few I do work on align with my interests and passions. Although I’m rather inconsistent with my practice, I’ve been trying to learn to play the harmonica and the guitar. The only ‘song’ I can only play with my acoustic is the riff of Nirvana’s Come As You Are, but this summer gives me ample time to practice at least. I also like to draw a little in my free time, by which I mean that I create the occasional scratchy sketch. I’m no good at it, but I like to do it nonetheless as it’s very calming for me. I also really like to read, from short stories and poems to much longer novels. Like with my music, I have no real top favorite genre, but I’m a fan of science fiction, mystery thrillers, fantasy, and psychological horror. My favorite book however, would be Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons. Books serve as nice little escapes from reality, for when it can get too much for me.

I also really love music, and I’ve been listening to a lot these past months. While there are too many good genres for me to single out as my favorite, I’ve been listening mostly to 90’s grunge. My current favorite bands are 3 of the Big Seattle Four, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, and Nirvana. I’ve recently begun delving into Alice in Chains, and their stuff is stellar. Their songs have gotten me through a lot of tough times. If you have any similar songs, albums, or bands you like to put me on, let me know!

I also tend to write quite a bit, although I haven’t really applied my writing to anything yet. I like to write in my journal, and would like to lean more into writing poetry and maybe short stories. I hope to journal a lot more in Panama, as it’s fun to jot down my thoughts.

If by any chance, you happen to align with any of my interests, feel more than welcome to come over and talk about em’ with me! I might be shy at first, but my guard will let down as soon as I get to know you. If you just want somebody to info dump something you’re passionate about, I’ll gladly listen. As long as you’ve got enough passion and info, I’ll be solid. I love to share stuff, and learn more about the world and other people.

Sorry for my essay, I figured that since it’s hard for me to open up, why not just do it all here????? No regrets here (maybe)

tl;dr: very excited to go on trip, want to meet new people and be social; nervous cuz people scary :c

Here be photos of me: