Feb

12

Bend Like The Grass That You Do Not Break

Filed Under Russia, The World | Leave a Comment  | by

I have realized in the past week that my exchange to Mexico was a cake walk in comparison to this, which is why I think this experience will be all the more enriching.  For my exchange to Mexico, I’d studied Spanish for 7 years, was familiar with the culture, and spent the duration of my stay with the family of my best friend, who, consequently, founded the city in which I resided.  Between the maid, the cook and the private pool, I could hardly say that my living situation was challenging.  Yet while it may seem ridiculous to bemoan such a situation, it was actually rather crippling.  Having spent so long studying the language and culture, I was terrified to make a mistake.  In addition, many people in Mexico spoke English, and if they didn’t, they saw my presence as an excellent reason to practice.  As a result, my potential for improvement was never fully realized.  Yet perhaps that was what I needed at the time, for while my Spanish did not improve by leaps and bounds, my ethnocentricities were laid bare, exposing both my cultural and personal inhibitions.

My time in Mexico taught me not to fear benign mistakes, for I will never improve if I refuse to open my mouth.  Thankfully, everyone here seems to understand.

 So I continue to blunder my way through, and through my blunders, I have already made decided headway.  Perhaps that is one of the reasons study abroad is such a valuable experience.  It is simultaneously humbling and empowering.  It challenges your every preconception and stretches your boundaries to the point of breaking and yet, if you can let go, if you can learn to embrace flexibility you find the return is invaluable.

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