Take the Risk

 

Disclaimer: "This blog, Southern Plum Blossom, is not an official site of the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State. The views expressed on this site are entirely those of my own and do not represent the views of the Fulbright Program, the U.S. Department of State, or any of its partner organizations."

Take the risk and don't tie yourself to an outcome.

Taking risks can be rewarding. Fulbright is, roughly, a yearlong anthropology experiment about one's adaptability to making memories with complete strangers. Finding community across the world. Sometimes, it takes flying cross-hemisphere to see where you are in life and what matters to you. It's like isolating a variable in an equation. The goal is to find the value or significance of that variable. How does it relate to the other variables? When we evaluate multivariable equations, we want to isolate one variable at a time, so we can solve the equation. It's Algebra 2. 

I end the math analogy with the equation I am solving is about my social skills and social confidence. Can I find community here? In Kinmen, the most I would be seen is for a walk to a store or the traditional market or the school. I would go to work and sit at my desk working on lesson plans with my headphones on-- only my keyboard typing heard. I had a routine of being the quiet foreigner who stayed to herself.

Recently, I got out of my comfort zone and asked a coworker at school to get dinner with me. We went to dinner and learned about why each other chose to come to Kinmen to teach. We found out that we came for a similar reason: the pace is slower than in a big city. We ate dumplings, both fried and boiled. We talked about our majors in college, teaching 6th grade, and seeing students outside of school.  Although it was a short conversation, I enjoyed the conversation. It was nice to talk to a new person, kind of refreshing. I had needed something different from my routine.

These dinner conversations could be a series to make friends with coworkers and also build a sense of community for me. So far, I have had dinner with three coworkers. It's nice to hear about different curiosities and passions (especially since I am here to explore mine). One loves history, another loves sports, and another loves food. They are all so passionate about their topics of interests. These dinner conversations have been learning experiences and great opportunities to test yourself. My social confidence had been really low-- from minimal Mandarin Chinese vocabulary and experiencing shock from being away my Mississippi community-- I think these conversations have been a perfect way to build my social confidence and social skills.

It's okay to take risks. Whether it's a new skill or language or meeting new people or stating your opinions or beliefs, something interesting or wonderful might happen. I'm learning how to try something new and learn from it. It's exciting and different and can take your mind off other worries. Sometimes, it's humbling, but hey, that's the fun of life: to be challenged, humbled, and encouraged. Even at the same time! 

So, take the risk and don't tie yourself to an outcome. Get out of your element. You might find something really exciting.

 

Thanks~