Way back at the beginning of the year, I talked about adventurous things I've done that have gotten me out of my comfort zone. I have had this post in my drafts for months and completely forgot about it. So, today I want to talk about other situations (mostly social situations) that made me uncomfortable but that had such an impact on my life.
Living with a host family in France
This was a scary experience for me at first. I was very nervous when I learned that I would be spending a few days with a French family, especially since I didn't speak a word of French other than the key phrases I learned before the trip. It was a little awkward at first but ended up being one of my favorite experiences in Europe! It was such a great learning experience and Miti was definitely an interesting lady, we ended up having a lot of fun! I wrote more about my homestay here. Kara (pictured below with Miti), a girl from my group, was with me during my homestay, so we helped each other out quite a bit.
Visiting the Elderly in Chicago
I am very uncomfortable around old people especially if they are ill. Don't ask me why, I just am. So when my youth pastor announced what we would be doing one evening while in Chicago, I was petrified. The only thing that made it better was that we were going in groups of four. We were to go up to the upper floors of JPUSA's building and talk with the elderly who lived there. This ended up being a great experience. After being told to go away by several people, one old man finally agreed to talk to us, his name was Lenny. I don't have anything written down about this experience and no photos, but it's something I'll always remember. We walked into his room and he had a TON of dolls, which seems like an odd collection for a man, but every doll had a story. We actually ended up staying longer than we had to because his stories were so interesting. Lenny had stories from all over the world and definitely added to my love of travel. This was a great lesson for me in respecting and learning from my elders.
Working with children who didn't speak English
I always get a little nervous in a situation where I'm around a lot of people who don't speak English. With adults it's not too big of a deal but kids sometimes don't understand that you don't know what they're saying. Though it did get a little frustrating at times, our few hours working with the kids in Costa Rica was one of my favorite parts of the trip. The kids were so eager to learn and so excited that we were there. After teaching them some English, we played games and had snacks with them and had so much fun.
All of these experiences turned out to be amazing and totally life changing. I wouldn't change any of these experiences for anything.
