This summer I decided to take a study abroad trip to Paris. I knew no one while on study abroad when I signed up and had only met up with a girl who had mutual friends and similar interests with me a few times before deciding to be roommates on this trip. So, when my roommate and I found our way to the gate, I was not surprised to see about 20 slightly familiar faces of which were only familiar due to the small profile pictures located on our Paris GroupMe. Other than the fact we all went to UGA, we were complete strangers to each other. In that moment, I couldn’t believe I was crazy enough to go on a study abroad for six weeks with not a single friend to tag along with, yet as early on as it was, this was when I learned the first thing about myself: I wasn’t going to let fear of the unknown stop me from an experience and trip of a lifetime and boy was I glad that it didn’t stop me because I wouldn’t have learned so much about myself and others.

While being abroad, I was exposed to so many exciting opportunities. It was amazing to be in an environment where someone you barely knew could be walking down the stairs and ask what you were doing that weekend. An environment in which when you answer nothing to soon after have plans to be going to Copenhagen, a place in which I sadly had to Google in order to discover it was located in Denmark, and have some of the best memories made there. I learned that adventure was always right around the corner, and it was best to say yes to new and exciting things like canceling a trip to London to spend a weekend with new friends in Nice or getting in a random line in front of a department store to only find yourself seconds later in an exclusive rooftop bar. Maybe the adventure wasn’t always quite as great as these examples, yet I found adventure in even the simple like going star gazing at a chateau in the Loire Valley or discovering a new love for Thai food in a quaint neighborhood of Paris. Simplicity, I found, is sometimes just as grand as a grandiose adventure. For instance, merely climbing up onto the roof of a Nice, France apartment to see the sunrise was an impeccable adventure in itself worth being compared alongside a rooftop bar. So two things: Adventure is always out there and even the simple can be an adventure in itself.

As I mentioned previously, yes, I knew no one going into this trip, but yes, I found a group of six people who made canceling a trip to London to spend a weekend with them worth every phone call and email sent to rail companies and hostels. These people, although all very different from each other and myself, soon became a type of family for each other while abroad. Our group of seven stood up for one another listening to each person’s problems or successes of that week. We consoled and celebrated with one another even though we only had six weeks to discover who each person is. Going into this trip, I wondered if I truly would be able to make friends in such a short time, yet I made so much more than just friends. I think in situations like this study abroad people put on personas in order to be liked because they feel the intense pressure to either be liked or have no friends at all. I learned, however, not to feel pressure to be anyone other than myself because I wanted others to like me for me and not anyone else, and from my incredible group, I learned that being able to be yourself amidst strangers was one of the best things that can ever happen because once you are truly comfortable with who you are then you can discover what you stand for and how you will treat others.

I want to come back to the fear aspect of this study abroad. I learned something about myself that I think I always knew but could never truly pinpoint. I discovered that I wasn’t afraid to fear, but I was willing to not let that fear stop me from saying yes to those adventures and to those friends. I truly think it is ok to be afraid because fear will always be a natural reaction in our lives. I mean we all are humans with deep and true human reactions to unknown situations, yet it isn’t ok to let our fear take over and stop us from saying yes to experiences that will teach us so much more than we could ever put into words. Take courage when fear is amidst and don’t let that emotion stop you from living your life to the fullest! I’ve been taught not to let fear take over through the words of Psalm 23:4, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff; they comfort me.” See that, we shouldn’t fear because no matter what dark unknown lies before us God will always be there to lead us through the unknown and comfort us in our weak moments crippled by fear. I’ve tried to live out these words through all of my decisions and choices including flying to a foreign land with a bunch of strangers.

Now, Paris is not so much a foreign land and those strangers are friends. I refuse to let the lessons I’ve learned about myself to stay in Paris. I think everyone can even take these lessons and apply them to their own lives because even though we aren’t always in Paris on a study abroad trip we can all take to heart that adventure is nearby, being yourself will always lead to a true discovery of who you are, and fear is natural yet having the courage to go beyond your fears is key. Lastly, I discovered that sleep can sometimes be optional when adventures and life experiences are waiting to be had.