Before studying abroad in La Rochelle, France, I had never, EVER, fathomed getting on an
airbus, flying across the world, and facing possible peril alone. I’d flown a few times
domestically, but the international experience was all new to me. I remember thinking to myself
in the Boston airport, “what if this plane goes down?” “What if my passport doesn’t work?” “How
embarrassing to be nineteen years old and afraid to fly?!” Alas, I survived the 7 hour voyage to
Paris, and can confidently say that I now understand customs.
In fact, I was so confident that a few weekends later, some friends and I decided to spend the
weekend in London. London is as marvelous as it is metropolitan. My favorite memory was
walking along the infamous Tower Bridge. The memory that shaped me, however, was
reasoning with a canceled flight back to France. I had expected, upon receiving the news, that I
would break down instantaneously and give up. Of course this would happen to me, the girl who
is scared of airplanes! However, with some teamwork, my friends and I contested the challenge.
We discovered that the next flight out wasn’t until the next morning from an airport across the
city. So, we took the train to said airport, booked a hotel (where we slept for two hours), got on
the flight to Nantes, took the train from Nantes to La Rochelle, and arrived an hour before taking
a test! Yes, we went to class that day.
All of this is to say that studying abroad has created me to be an “oriented” person. Having to
problem solve in areas where I was knowledge-less taught me to use my resources. Through
the help of friends and strangers, I was able to conquer my fears and make the best out of the
situation. For me, travel was the enemy, but I was taught how to be comfortable with it. This fear
that many of us carry can be unlearned. For some, a new job may be menacing, for others,
maybe it’s moving away from family and friends. Nonetheless, life is scary sometimes, but it will
also teach you more about yourself than anyone else ever could.