Thrown Out of the Nest by Francesca

Thrown Out of the Nest by Francesca - March 2017 Scholarship Essay

"To be fully alive, fully human, and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest". This is my all time favorite quote by Pema Chodron, a Tibetan Buddhist. I found this quote while flipping through a book of quotes which was one of the only English books I found while I studied abroad in Chile last semester. As part of my International Business program, we are required to minor in a language and study abroad for at least a semester in a country that speaks the language. That left me with the option to choose Spain or a Spanish speaking country in South America. I was all signed up to study abroad in Spain with three of my best friends but at the last minute (literally the last day it was possible to choose your location) something in my gut told me to switch to South America where I knew no one and where the culture is entirely different. Much to my friends and parents surprise I changed my study abroad plans to Chile without consulting their opinions first. They were surprised but ultimately supportive.
When I first got there I was in total culture shock. The Spanish was so different to the kind my professors spoke as there was so much slang and it was spoken so fast you would almost think it was an entirely other language than Spanish. Over my six months there I got used to the language and grew to embrace their laid back culture which frustrated me at first due to the "go-go-go" mentality engrained in me from home. I may never know why my gut told me to go to South America by myself instead of Spain with my friends but it was the best decision of my life; I miss Chile every single day.
Therefore, if I had to give a speech to a school wide audience, I would talk about the importance of pushing yourself and doing what you desire instead of what everyone else is doing. Especially in today's world I feel there is so much pressure especially for young people to do the same thing as everyone else. That works fine for some people but I think deep inside all of us there is a desire for more. It can be scary to do something no one else you know has done before. But the only way to know what you are truly capable of is to push yourself. So, throw yourself out of the nest. Then do it again. Then do it another time. Only then will you realize you manage to fly every time.