“Your world will expand for every step you dare to take outside your comfort zone.”
Maria Irving
The peak of the Coronavirus pandemic hit when I was 13. The epidemic practically stopped the world. Almost every news channel I turned on, conversation I heard, and public notices and signs I saw echoed the same message: stay put and take no risks. The virus left us uncertain about the future, so any step we took away from what we knew was labeled as dangerous by society. When schools reopened, transitioning away from online and hybrid learning, those themes shaped and controlled me. At that time, it was my freshman year of high school. I was struggling to adjust to harder coursework and felt out of place among upperclassmen who seemed to have everything figured out. When everyone told me the best way to find my niche in high school was to explore and join different clubs, I did not want to.Â
Nothing had made me realize the person I had become until I took a trip to Germany and Austria the summer after freshman year. From the beginning, this vacation seemed anything but ideal. As soon as we landed in Germany, my dad told me we would rent a car and drive across the country, instead of flying to various airports in Germany and Austria. I was upset by that, thinking in frustration about how we did not know the roads around here and how driving takes up so much more time to get to where we want to go.
During one of our drives, my parents and I stopped to eat at a restaurant in the Austrian countryside. Almost everything on the menu was labeled in German. Each time we asked for water, the waiter returned with bottles of sparkling water. I reached for Google Translate, only to find there was no service. We looked to the waiter for help, but he said that none of the staff could speak enough English. Almost every one of our attempts to communicate was met with confusion. I wanted to give up and leave, but I stopped myself with the realization that this situation would likely repeat itself no matter which restaurant we visited. Determined to work out a way to get him to understand, I examined the bottles, noticing the tiny bubbles rising to the top, and gestured that we did not want that. He immediately understood and returned with regular water. Getting water was tricky, but asking for courses was an even bigger challenge. As we struggled to communicate, I took a shot in the dark and asked if any of the staff could speak Hindi. My family, being from India, spoke the language, and to my surprise, the waiter knew it too, as his family was from Afghanistan. We were able to successfully communicate over the menu. I was surprised by how much we had in common. I did not know that people from Afghanistan could speak Hindi. I found it even more surprising that by taking a chance with another language, I was able to solve the issue.
My family and I also explored a lot of Germany by train. Though my dad could have easily bought the train tickets himself, he told me he wanted me to do it. I tried to navigate the ticket kiosk, but I was confused by the different purchase options. I couldn’t tell if they were one-way or round-trip tickets, or how long the train passes were valid for. Unsure, I went back to my dad for help, but he just sent me back with a reminder not to give up so easily. So, I worked up the courage to ask a few other people using the kiosk about the tickets. After talking to them, I came back with a 9-day pass, recommendations for scenic railway routes, and an understanding of the train routes and times.Â
Driving through Germany and Austria was one of the best ways to travel through the countries. Had I taken a plane, I would have missed the chance to understand that when you stay within your comfort zone, you will not fully understand what you are capable of and what you are lacking. Stepping out of it allows you to shift your mindset, learn new things, and become more open to giving a shot at something new. This trip helped me realize that stepping out of my comfort zone is not as frightening as it seems, because I have the skills to help me succeed and keep learning and growing. So, sophomore year, I took a chance on something I was nervous about: joining the cross country team. Looking back, I can say that without cross country, my high school experience would be incomplete.
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