On May 13, 2017 my life changed forever. This was the day I embarked on a trip of a lifetime across the globe. Now to average travelers this might seem fine, but I did it all by myself. I had never traveled outside of the country without my family. To be quite honest, with the way the world is these days, I didn’t feel very safe. But I did it anyways! My mom has always told me not to live my life in fear. Some things are out of our hands. We can either be scared, or we can accept it and live our lives to the fullest. Needless to say, I’m trying to do the latter of the two.
On May 13 I boarded a plane from America to Florence, Italy. I chose to travel to Florence for a study abroad program, and to see all the beautiful sights Florence has to offer. About 24 hours later I made it to Italy safely. That was accomplishment number one! I hadn’t been in an airport alone. I had no idea how to navigate my way around, let alone find my gate. All I did was ask the first employee I could find at each airport where to go next!
Upon arriving, I could either find my apartment by taxi or by myself. I thought it would be a great opportunity to try myself. Low and behold, I found it, accomplishment number two! I knew I would be living with other students, and I was a little nervous. But when I opened my apartment door, I met my roommates who have now become good friends. I have since realized there was nothing to worry about, because once again there was nothing I had control over.
It wasn’t until about a week and a half into my trip that I started doing things on my own—accomplishment number three. This was probably the most important lesson I learned. If I couldn’t navigate or explore the city by myself, I couldn’t fully overcome my fear of living somewhere new by myself. Accomplishment number four didn’t occur until I faced my fear of heights and climbed the Duomo, Florence’s large cathedral. I was mentally and physically stressed during this climb because the stairways were very narrow, and several people in front of me walked extremely slow. I finally made it to the top where there was a slight breeze and the sun was shining. It was surprisingly peaceful, and I could see all of Florence! I stayed up there longer than I thought I would, but then ran back to ground level.
My solo trip across the globe, once thought of to be the scariest thing ever, turned out to be one of the best experiences ever. I met new friends, learned more about myself, and faced my fears. It would not have happened if I hadn’t listened to my mom telling me to never live my life in fear!
What fears have you overcome? Let me know in the comments below!
