Stepping Out of the Comfort Zone

When is the last time you did something for the first time? I had always wanted to be able to make a decision that would change my life in an instant. I left my normal lifestyle of playing sports, exploring the outdoors, and being comfortable in my static life for doing something completely spontaneous. I went live in a foreign country, and it was by far the best decision I have made because I learned more about myself when I was vulnerable then I ever did when I was relaxed. I was alone. From the moment my parents dropped me off at the airport in Montana, I was about to embark upon a brand new life adventure.

At sixteen years old, this would be my first time away from home, and I had no idea what to expect. I was in route to South America for a one year foreign exchange program. The destination was a place called Rancagua, Chile, a town more than twenty times the size of my hometown in Cody, Wyoming. I had completed only a couple of trainings in preparation for an entire year abroad. However, none of the trainings actually prepared me to successfully navigate or effectively immerse oneself in a foreign country. I was overwhelmed from the moment I stepped foot off the ten hour flight from Atlanta and onto the ground of a new country. The airport in Santiago, Chile, a city of many millions, was complete chaos. People were moving all around me at a fast pace and speaking pish at an even faster pace.

Certainly, the speed of the language was so much faster than I had ever heard inside my high school classroom. I cautiously traveled from my gate to the baggage claim area. The little pish I knew helped me recall that the name of the baggage claim was “reclamo de equipaje.” Once I arrived, a little poster, held by an unknown Chilean man, immediately caught my attention. It was a poster with my name poorly written on it, being held by my host dad, Carlos. He was the father of my new family, and a man whom I had only seen on an email screen. He was dressed in a partially torn gray t-shirt, athletic shorts, and sandals. He was scanning every face that walked by trying to identify his new host son, and thanks to his sign, I approached him.

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As soon as we made eye contact, Carlos ran up and bear hugged me for a forever period of time, or for at least five seconds in duration. He perceded to launch words at me at an incredible velocity. The dumbfounded look on my face made it difficult to hide the fact that I didn't have a clue what he was saying. There was an awkward silence, so Carlos resorted to hand gestures by waving to me to follow him as we retrieved my luggage. I rode in the passenger seat of the car for the trip to my new home to live with my new host family. The two hour car ride seemed like an eternity as we sat in silence for most of the ride. All I could think about was the doubt that was rapidly surfacing in my mind. I was doubting my decision to travel to the bottom of the Western Hemisphere.

I began searching my mind for the reasons why I decided to take on such a pointless adventure. I contemplated how I could have been back home at tennis practice preparing for my next season, or hiking with my cousin in the mountains outside of Yellowstone. Carlos and I attempted to converse again, but the obvious language barrier made it impossible to effectively communicate with one another. Staring out the window, I continued to question why I forced myself into this predicament. I tried using positive reinforcement by reminding myself that everything will get better eventually. Despite my efforts directed towards positive thinking, I was hit with another reality check upon my arrival into Rancagua. My jaw dropped with obvious shock the first time I entered the outskirts of my new town.

Rancagua was dirty and run down, wild dogs ran the streets, and most of the buildings looked abandoned or ransacked. Even though I was close to freaking out outwardly, I tried to contain my internal horror as to not offend my host father. Staying positive, I thought to myself, “Just wait until you can settle into you new home and relax.” After somewhat calming down, we next approached my neighborhood. I gathered this as Carlos mumbled something like we were getting close to our “home.” As he drove up to the front of a house, I was again shocked by my observations.

The house had bars on the windows much like a prison would have in place for its inmates. There were only a few shingles left still clinging to the roof. The paint on the outside of the house looked like someone had scraped most of it off like they were about to repaint it, only they never did. This was my new dwelling. I was home. I landed where I would be spending the next year of my life which was living in a prison with people speaking so fast that I can’t understand a word they’re saying. Shortly after our arrival a woman walked outside along with two girls by her side. I recognized the woman as my host mom, Pia, but I didn't know their two daughters yet.

However, all three of them ran up to me, and without hesitation, they all hugged me at the same time. I felt welcome by their generous affection, but also incredibly insecure due to the different living arrangements and language difficulty. Excitedly, they encouraged my entrance into the home. They had made another sign for me in English saying, “Welcome Cooper Thompson.” I felt spoiled because this family obviously didn't have much to give, but they wanted me to feel accepted in their home and part of their family. This was only the beginning of shocking events as school was about to start. For me, school was wearing sweatpants and sport shirts to school while attending a public school in Cody, Wyoming. Now, I would be enrolled in an exclusive private school where every student was required to wear a school uniform and learn from teachers that also spoke at a pace too fast for comprehension.

There’s nothing like throwing everything you know out the window in order to step away from life’s normal routines. It’s only when you step out of your comfort zone that you can really learn who you are as a person and what you are capable of handling. I wish for everyone to move away from society to discover their true self because when I did, it was the best decision in my life.

After surviving all of these shocking life changes in Chile, I reluctantly returned ‘home’, but I knew I made the best decision of my life by stepping out of my comfort zone and doing something new.

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