Fearlessness.
That is the word that I hope to keep in mind as I embark on a four-month expedition to Seville, Spain. And I, my fellow Hoosiers, encourage you to approach the beginning of your year with that same word.
I typically keep cool under pressure. I don’t stress out much. New adventures and new situations excite me, not scare me. But I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous.
I mean, for four months I’m going to a completely new country that I’ve never been to, where they speak a different language, where I don’t know anyone and where I’m miles away from home. And while I’ve been working to maintain my Spanish here and there throughout the summer, surprise, surprise, I haven’t exactly kept to the recommended daily dose for the past three months.
I’m going to make mistakes. I’m going to feel dumb. And at some point, I’m going to fail. That’s inevitable. But you know what else I’m going to do? I’m going to try. I’m going to succeed. And I’m going to have the adventure of a lifetime.
Without fail, every study abroad student I have encountered tells me the same thing.
That it is the most life-changing experience they have ever had. Well here I am, packed and ready to be swept away into this unknown whirlwind.
Fearlessness.
Plane ticket? Check. Suitcase? Check. Favorite black dress, journal, confidence?
Check, check and check.
The pieces of this puzzle are finally starting to come together, and it is just the beginning. By the end of my time abroad, I hope to have completed the full picture. And I’m talking a 2,000-piecer, with all of the details, anticipation and hard work that goes into the final product, the final masterpiece.
The food, the scenery, the sights, the history, the culture, the language and, most importantly, the people — I want to experience them all, and I want to share them with you.
As I push myself outside of my comfort zones this semester, I hope it inspires you to do the same. You don’t have to be on another continent for it to happen. Whatever it may be, challenge yourself.
Fearlessness.
“Sometimes we need to stop analyzing the past, stop planning the future, stop figuring out exactly how we feel, stop deciding exactly what we want and just see what happens.”
Though a quote from Carrie Bradshaw may seem a bit unexpected, I think it perfectly sums up how sometimes we just have to jump and figure the rest out as we go.
Don’t be afraid to fall. Be fearless, be free and find out something about yourself you might never have known.
