Jump

As the plane took off, I clenched my teeth and gripped the armrests. I didn’t have much space, being 6’1 and sitting next to a (and I mean this in the kindest way possible) plump German woman, but I did have the space in my mind. After staring off into space in deep thought for three or four minutes, I had a series of simple, but profound thoughts.

I don’t like cheese.

I don’t speak any Greek.

Where am I going to stay tonight?

Why do kids love the taste of Cinnamon Toast Crunch?

Minus the last one, which haunts me every day, the other questions/challenges solved themselves pretty quickly. I stayed at a cheap hotel before going to my actual apartment in the morning; I’ve picked up Greek by actually practicing it with Greeks, who greatly appreciate the gesture. In regards to cheese, I accidentally bought Swiss at the grocery store, but it’s going in my omelet anyways. [Side note: anyone that doesn’t like fresh feta needs to be sat down by an adult to talk about positive life choices]

Those questions have stopped better men from living their best life. I don’t mean that being slightly lactose intolerant has stopped people from winning the lottery or inventing the Snuggie, but it can stop you from enjoying some good food. A broader example is the whole process of going abroad, especially to more unfamiliar places (i.e. not Paris, London or the other very popular study abroad locations). You may think you won’t like the food, you may already have a great group of friends, you may think you can’t afford it, and you may have seen the movie Taken. Heck, there may be a rising Neo-Nazi group gaining power due to economic turmoil. Like this one? [Fun fact: every single one of those was true in my case]

But, if you think about it, you’re not breaking any revolutionary ground for college students. We’ve been going abroad for a while now and, if you’re smart (which I’d like to think is true), you’ll be fine. Some kids at BC, specifically the minorities/those with four years of housing/those on the lower rungs of the socioeconomic ladder, let one of the obstacles deter them from having what is almost always an amazing experience. It’s happened so much that the best dorm to live in during your junior year, when most students go abroad, is informally known as the “AHANA (African-American, Hispanic, Asian, and Native American) Hotel.” Whether it’s meant in a positive, negative, or neutral way, a nickname like that does not help for a united student body.

I’m not saying that EVERYONE should go abroad, credits, courses and obstacles be damned, but I think everyone should look into it. I can tell it’s a life-changing experience, and I’m only a week in. Immersing yourself in a brand new environment, the more different the better, can make you a more well-rounded and cultured person.

Often, the obstacles in your path turn out to be smaller than they seem, or, in some cases, mere illusions. The closer you get, and the more you lock your goals into focus, the easier it gets to overcome hurdles, slide under trees, and break 1,000,000 points in Temple Run 2. So take the plunge, dive off the high board, and be open to being open. You’ll never enjoy anything, including Cinnamon Toast Crunch, until you take a magnifying glass to each and every opportunity for growth (also known as obstacles), and find the cinnamon and sugar swirls in every bite.