Kara Witherill ‘15
Global Studies Major; Chemistry and German Minors
AUCP Marseille, France Fall 2013
Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Program in Germany 2015-16
Embrace being uncomfortable.
Whether you’re studying, working, or just visiting a foreign country, there is nothing more freeing than letting go of the safety net and taking that proverbial step outside of your comfort zone – and staying there.These are the words I wish someone had told me before I embarked upon my first abroad experience over two years ago to study in Marseille, France. But now, as I sit here writing this as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant working in Germany, these are the words I live by every day.
When I stepped on that plane to Germany three months ago, I left my comfort zone so far behind me that I’d have to get out a pair of binoculars to see it. Everyday, I’m living in a world that is unknown to me, speaking a language that feels unfamiliar on my tongue. Who will I unknowingly offend while trying to buy my groceries today? Which traffic laws will I accidentally disobey while riding my bike to work? Will I break some unspoken social code if I go running in shorts in November? When I wake up in my quiet apartment in a tiny city that nobody has ever heard of, these are the types of questions that often float around my mind. Yet, rather than let the fear of making these mistakes or being unable to articulate myself in a foreign language keep me from engaging in my new home, I dive in head first.
Sure, it’s embarrassing when I go to buy stamps and the postman can barely figure out what I want, because my German pronunciation is, shall we say, slightly less than perfect. But when I finally do buy those stamps, it’s a victory. And these little victories are what make living outside of our comfort zones – and living abroad – so rewarding.
When I chose to study in Marseille the fall of my junior year at Colby, my goal was to become fluent in French. The program, the American University Center of Provence, was an intensive French immersion program and placed all of its students in host families. When I arrived, I figured I’d spend the semester going to classes, talking with my host family, and traveling without having to step too far out of my comfort zone, but what I soon discovered, was that this was painfully boring. All of my favorite memories and the moments when I
grew the most as a person came from times when I took a chance and did something I wouldn’t normally do. From interviewing a world class Ballroom Champion in French to going cliff jumping in the Mediterranean, life outside my comfort zone was so much more exciting and taught me so much more than any lessons in the classroom.
When I graduated from Colby and got the opportunity to spend the next year in Germany as an English Teaching Assistant, I was terrified. I had no teaching experience, my German was rough at best, and I knew nothing about opening a foreign bank account or registering as a foreign resident… and so I knew this was an experience I could not pass up. Studying abroad in France taught me that it’s ok to be scared and it’s ok to not always understand what’s going on around you and it’s what showed me that working abroad was something I needed to do. Living abroad is about living in the unknown, and we can only truly do that when we let down our guards and embrace the fact that sometimes we will make mistakes, sometimes the postman will laugh at us, but when that happens, we also grow.
