I've Changed

    When I first attempted to write this post, I created a list of the many ways—big and small—I’ve changed since arriving in Germany, such as majorly improving my German skills, developing greater empathy for non-native English speakers, recycling more, cultivating a stronger appreciation for bread, etc. However, I’ve noticed one thing that stands out to me more than all others: my personal growth—my confidence, my adaptability, my independence, so many qualities and traits that I cannot yet fully summarize.

    Living at home and commuting to work in Cleveland last year felt comfortable. I lived in an area I knew near the people and places I knew speaking the language I knew. It felt like a probationary period for adulthood. Occasionally, I felt tempted to stay in that comfort, to sit and watch the world from my couch. My surroundings and the demands of daily life did not challenge me enough, in the way that would inevitably produce the personal growth I desperately craved.

    Moving to a foreign country has forced me to intimately confront and recognise who I am as a young adult and as a person. When navigating a foreign environment, there is nobody else you can be but yourself, no past version of yourself that others know you as, no room for hiding or regression. Voluntarily foregoing who and what you know is not easy, but I am determined to never let myself settle for easy. By putting myself in situations that challenge and test me, I discover who I am. I’ve had ample time to process life alone, to sit with myself, to journey forward outside the proximity of my support system. I love learning, and Fulbright has given me the opportunity to learn who I am.

   No matter what I decide to do or where I decide to go in the future, I’ll embrace it as this new, stronger me. Adulthood, just like the streets and people of Erlangen, has become familiar to me.

    I’m slowly becoming the person I’ve always wanted to be. My final thought is a wish, a wish that every person could have an experience like this: a chance to accept yourself, be challenged, and grow. Stepping outside of one’s comfort zone, even if it is hard or scary, can have enormous positive results.