Being Comfortable Being Uncomfortable
Date
February 19, 2026
Before this semester I had never traveled by myself. I’ve been to lots of places, but alone. However I knew I wanted to study abroad and I wanted to go somewhere different. That’s how I found myself in New Zealand- 10,000 miles from home with an 18 hour time difference. My goal for my time abroad was to try every thing I had the chance to because I had no idea when or if I would be back. Bungy jumping? Sure! Last minute flight to Australia? I’m down. This mentality pushed me way out of my comfort zone, but it’s also what made my semester as memorable as it was.
]I’ve always been an outdoorsy person, but I was seriously reconsidering that stance when I was 4 hours into a hike up Roy’s Peak and could hardly feel my legs. I was extremely uncomfortable in this situation- I had never hiked that much in my life. However, the view from the top almost made me forget about the pain (almost), and it was one of the most unforgettable experiences I had.
Another experience I was nervous about was volunteering. I wanted to be involved with some conservation work while abroad, so I decided to volunteer with kiwi birds at Willowbank Wildlife Reserve. My job entailed documenting, meal prep, and cleaning for the kiwi birds. I was really scared to walk in on my first day. I was worried I would be the only American working there and that I would be totally clueless. But by pushing myself I ended up learning so much about kiwis and meeting some incredible people along the way- and I wasn’t even the only American working there!
I landed back in America in November and honestly can’t believe my time abroad flew by so quickly. The idea of being in a foreign country seemed scary to me in July, but- just like all of my experiences in New Zealand- I learned that the best things come right after taking the plunge and pushing myself out of my comfort zone.