Carly: Risk Taking

       I realized recently that I have taken a lot of risks coming to Nosara. Not just physical risks, but  a huge jump outside of my comfort zone for an extended period of time. I keep hearing from different people how impressed they are by me, how scary this all seems, how brave I am to try something like this, and etc. I always just brush it off and say thank you and I just wanted a change in my life. I was so determined to get myself here and find my place that I didn't really reflect on how much of a jump outside my comfort zone this was until recently.
       I have always seen myself as a driven student, but I never saw myself as the exchange student type until this year. Now that I'm here though, I'm so glad that I did it. I feel like my perspective on life has changed forever. For example, I used to be convinced that I could never thrive outside of a big city, but Nosara is a pretty small town, and I'm doing great. I've mentioned this in several previous blogs, but the attitude and lifestyle differences here are also shocking and amazing things for me to see and experience. I hope that I can bring back what I have learned from this experience and share it with those around me for years to come.
       On the topic of risk taking and comfort zones, I have realized recently that one of my big roadblocks of learning Spanish is just trying to speak it and being alright with being uncomfortable. My comprehension is improving drastically, but I'm still having to really push myself to try speaking to people. It's scary to try to communicate in a language you aren't confident in. Thinking about this though, and all the other risk taking I've done on this trip, it should be no problem. In the last month and a half, I've left home, started at a new school, made new friends, moved between two host families, started learning a new (sometimes terrifying) sport, taught voice lessons for the first time, and so much more. Just looking at this list makes it obvious how much I have grown during high school and while I've been here. I have always been a little risk averse, but obviously I have grown to a point where I can push past that. I am thriving on all the new experiences I have had here, and I am so glad my time at Post Oak has helped me grow to this point in my self confidence and individuality.