Converting Fear Into Excitement

Learning how to face my fear leading up to study abroad. 

I have always dreamed about traveling the world and experiencing what the world has to offer. Before I even started college, I heard tempting stories of study abroad. I had promised myself that if I ever had the chance to study abroad I would. Last summer, I fulfilled that promise, when I went to study Arabic in Morocco for two months.

After applying for the program and being accepted, the spring semester was full of preparing for my trip. I had to find tickets, make sure my insurance would cover me overseas, apply for scholarships, among other mandatory portions of the application. I reminded myself each part would be worth it (especially when I was calling my insurance company for the fifth time).

However, being preoccupied with paperwork and meetings as well as school did not leave much time to think about how I actually felt about studying abroad. I was so infatuated with the idea of studying abroad that I ignored the growing anxiety associated with studying abroad. As my second year ended, I realized I had many more worries about my upcoming trip.

I had never traveled internationally by myself before. I would have to navigate new airports, be responsible for my own passport,  be in a new country where I was not yet fluent in the language, and navigate all the new things (including food) that I would be exposed to. And with all these new experiences came new questions. What if I got sick from the food or the new environment? What if my classes were too difficult for me to handle?

These “what if” scenarios plagued my mind more than I would like to admit. Instead of focusing on what I was scared about, I tried to take comfort in previous experiences. I have traveled domestically by myself so many times that it is second nature. I had moved to Emory, 700 miles away from home and had done just fine, so I could definitely manage on my own in Morocco. It would take a bit more time to adjust, but I eventually would find it like another home.

Channeling my energy into focusing on what I hoped to gain from my time abroad allowed me to remember the reason I yearned to travel and study abroad for so long. I have to acknowledge I would be outside of my comfort zone but isn’t that the reason I wanted to travel? It was the reason I wanted to go beyond what I knew because that is how I would learn. I would never learn by staying in the same place for the rest of my life.

By making the adrenaline rush of taking a risk to fuel my desire to study abroad rather than fear, I give myself the power to decide how much I would gain from my experience.

Mowla Wardha 21C
Human Health
Chicago, Illinois 

This article was originally published on the Odyssey website. It has been republished here in-full with the author’s permission. Read the original article by visiting https://www.theodysseyonline.com/converting-fear-to-excitement.