A Stranger on a Foreign Land

Why are we afraid of going to new places? What is so scary about seeing new faces and hearing new voices? I suppose those are some questions that we avoid answering when we face a crossroad in our life, because we feel more comfortable in our safe zone. The thing about this, is that we are missing a lot of stuff by not wanting to break free from those boundaries. This happens even in many aspects of our everyday life, and it manifests from the smallest things, like not deciding what to eat or what to wear, to the bigger ones like working on a job where we don´t want to be but staying there anyway because it is the safest thing to do.

Ilustracion por Juan Martín Granda

This fear of the unknown is especially present when thinking medium to long term decisions, and one of them is moving to a new place (either for two weeks or our whole lives). The reasons why one person decides to move varies from: going where family and friends are, finding new employment opportunities, studying abroad, and many others. It does not matter which one is the reason, the thing is that many people do not take the leap, and then spend their lives wondering what could have been. The important thing to remember now is that each second that passes it´s long gone, and no matter how hard we try, we can only live after them.

Now, as college students, we are presented with a vast array of exchange opportunities; and, based on my experience, I know that there is only a minor percentage of students who take advantage of this. I´m aware that there are some factors that may impede us from traveling, even if we have all the desire to go, like financial situations or personal problems. But what I am saying is that you should look for all the options available, and if you have the chance to go do not hesitate on taking it, because I am sure that you won´t regret it.

I had the opportunity to take one of USFQ exchange programs and I can honestly say: that it changed my life and my outlook of this world. My experience goes back to 2018 when I was strolling around the campus and found the exchange fair on the main hall. I asked around just for curiosity and, after I left, I could not get all the things they´ve told me out of my head. It all sounded so nice that I was in a state of awe for several days. Then I started thinking about it seriously and I went back for some information, where they kindly cleared all my doubts; but still after knowing how everything worked and what I had to do, a sudden fear invaded me… it made me hesitate about going. All these questions popped up in my mind: what if I cannot communicate well with them because I don´t master the language? what if I am not able to make friends and I spend a whole semester there alone? What if I want to come back as soon as I arrive? But all these fears were dissipated when I got there.

As soon as I walked off the plane I was mesmerized. A small town filled with colorful trees and a blue sky was lying in front of me, and the first person that talked to me was so polite that I soon started to loosen up. Upon my arrival on campus everybody was willing to guide me on every aspect with a sincere smile on their faces and did not hesitated to answer any question that I had. Then I met the rest of the international students that became my brothers, and the ones that I remember fondly up to this day. They came from everywhere, France, Spain, Tunisia, Germany, Netherlands, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Chile, and of course, from the United States, the host of my voyage. All of them were as excited as I was of being there, and soon we all were a very close group. They are the main reason that my time there was incredible because they too wanted to explore the world and meet new cultures.

The college life on the new campus was amazing as well; they held activities and fests on a weekly basis, and there were always things to do there. Field trips and expeditions to museums, ancient historical places, and even concerts were a must. Classes were also a lot of fun as everybody, from professors to students, wanted to know more about the place where I came from, because most of them had never left the United States or even the city they live in (which surprised me). I shared my room with an American student called Robert “The Craiginator”. At first, I thought I was going to have troubles with him, since he was a wrestler, but then I found out that he asked to have an exchange student as a roommate and, after we talked, I realized he was one hell of a guy. He was learning Spanish, so I helped him with his homework, and he gave me pizza. We understood each other well and even had our own expeditions together.

Then the days passed, and I was already completely in love with the place, so much that I didn´t want to come back here. I realized that all the fears that I had before traveling were there just to bother me. I was able to communicate with all of them, even on the final exposition in front of the whole class! I was never alone because all the people there were so friendly and warm. And the most important thing is that I learned a lot. The final day of my journey was the saddest of them all because I had to say goodbye to my friends, but it was also one of the happiest because I was thankful for all the things that I had lived there. Finally, when I arrived in Quito, I felt renewed, because I felt that a new part of me was born.

If I had kept my fears, I would never have had the chance to live all those things.

So, the bottom line of all this wordiness is, and quoting Pink Floyd, “don´t be afraid to care”. Shake all those bad thoughts out of your hair and dare to go somewhere you have never been before, because we never know what´s lying ahead of us, and the only way to find out is walkingon those foreign lands wearing the boots of a stranger.

#fightyourfears #exchange #dragonsbag #travel