Hello from O’Hare International Airport in Chicago! I arrived four hours before my flight, and it took me a prompt half hour to check my bag and go through security. Now I’m sitting listening to Hamilton at Gate K16. I had written a blog post earlier that I was going to post here about my excitement, about how little I’ve packed and how this trip is the adventure of a lifetime. However I feel inspired by a new thought.
Studying abroad is about growth. I worked at a summer camp this summer, and we taught our campers that there are three zones you can be in when living you life. Three circles, shaped like a ripple in water. The center circle represents your comfort zone. This is a place that you know, a familiar feeling that offers ease of mind, ease of body.
Outside of this is your learning zone. This zone is the place to be. It’s new, often uncomfortable. It pushes you out into the wonders of what you haven’t yet explored, and lets you experience in ways your comfort zone cannot offer. The learning zone is also where you feel fear, where you learn to breathe deeply and overcome a barrier. What a beautiful place it is, the learning zone. Beyond this zone is the danger zone, it’s a place that could potentially harm you physically, mentally, or emotionally. It’s important to understand this area as you step out of your comfort zone into that learning zone.
Let’s revisit O’Hare International Airport where I currently sit, a nervous nineteen-year-old on the brink of my debut in Europe. Reflecting now, a great part of my life has steeped in my comfort zone. I’ve only known a society that has coddled the heterosexual, able-bodied white male. Not only that, but so many times I have let my fear of the learning zone inhibit my venturing into the wonders of the unknown. I think the society I know has taught me that I can “succeed” without having to step out of my comfort zone. I’m working hard to get rid of this. I’m not in this for success. I’m looking for growth, and I’m looking to excel in the fear that I am bound to experience in places that won’t be holding my hand through every turn. I am scared, but it’s a healthy scared. I am ready to not only accept but also indulge in the newness I am about to experience.
I am so incredibly excited to go to Paris. I deserve to be where I am, and with this quiet confidence I am ready to be humbled by the beauty of difference, by the wonderful multidimensional culture of France. In ten hours I will touch down in Paris. I can’t know what lies ahead, and I know this is the best state in which to be. I will breathe deeply, look around, embrace my fear, and say yes to opportunities that put myself into my learning zone and challenge the comfort of my identity. The rest will hopefully unfold.
Au revoir les Etats-Unis, à plus tard!