It’s time. I’m going to India! I can hardly believe it. I feel as though I’ve spent the past year hopping from place to place––from Walla Walla, Seattle and Los Angeles. But now that I’m finally comfortably settled in at my parents’ home in Salt Lake City, the thought of leaving the known for another trip to an unknown environment makes me extremely nervous. I’m currently experiencing 25 percent excitement, 75 percent nervousness. This isn’t to say that I’m dreading my trip, but rather, I feel wholly unprepared for what I may or may not experience in the next four months.
Though, this is naturally how I generally feel about anything that deals with my future. It’s difficult for me to get excited about future possibilities because I always stress about what I cannot foresee and prepare myself for. A friend once told me, before embarking on a trip abroad himself, that he has stopped stressing about trips or embarking on new experiences because he has realized that worrying does nothing to change what will happen. A quiet voice inside me tells me his advice is true, but I can’t seem to adopt his calm demeanor.
I’ve envisioned myself in a number of situations in India, ranging from losing my luggage on a speeding train, to getting lost in Delhi and not being able to communicate with anyone. Although I can’t seem to adopt my friend’s sense of relaxation, reminding myself of why I chose to study abroad in India brings me closer to 100 percent excitement.
When I chose to study abroad in Jaipur, I made the conscious decision to expand my comfort zone. I want to place myself in a situation where I may be unfamiliar with my surroundings and uncomfortable, but be able to look back on that situation and remember it as one of my most cherished memories. Although I’m unprepared, I’m willing to throw myself wholly into India.
As Mark Twain once said,
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
I’m Setting Sail. I’m going to make a fool of myself speaking Hindi, I’m going to go to a public bathroom on the train and I’m going to kill any mosquitos that get in my way during my quest!
