Blog #8

There have been many moments throughout my gap year where I have had to be brave. In my opinion, getting on the plane was the bravest part of the entire journey. Saying goodbye to your family and committing to being on my own for almost a year in a new country is brave.

Other than that, I think all of the “firsts” that I had in Belgium were moments that I had to show bravery. Being in a new situation and having to do so many things on my own in a new language is very nerve wracking. So every accomplishment that I made, and every new day I was able to experience was brave. Speaking up and trying to make friends during my first week of school showed bravery. Everytime I tried to order in French showed bravery. Taking the bus or train by myself required bravery. Every instance where I was able to use my newfound independence required bravery on my part.

There have also been many times where I have made tiny failures during my gap year, but I didn’t let them ruin my attitude.. I made countless mistakes in french. From small errors in grammar and words to big mistakes where nobody could understand me. There were a few times where I had missed my bus or train. I had even taken the entirely wrong bus or train and not realized until I was already late and lost.

I can’t remember every single mistake that I made. I am sure that I made at least one mistake or tiny failure every day. But the important things to remember is to not let those mistakes discourage you. I was able to learn and grow from every failure I had and my gap year would not have been the same without them. Additionally, if I were to have let those mistakes bother me, I probably would have missed out on so many other opportunities. Being afraid of making mistakes could have caused me to be afraid to put myself in situations where I could have made more mistakes. This would have taken away so many other opportunities.

This brings me to the point of every time where I have “bounced back”. In my opinion, every time I was able to quickly recover from one of my small failures and continue on with my day, I have “bounced back”. Being able to quickly recover from a mistake, and not let it have a toll on you is “bouncing back”. With this mentality, I have been able to allow myself to understand that the momentary uncomfort that you feel with mistakes, usually leads to bigger and better things