10 Months

Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. - Neale Donald Walsh

August 20th 2011. That was the day my life changed, forever. It was the day I headed to the USA (again) to continue my college career, and as timid as I was, I put on my brave face and went. Albeit a taxing first week here in Minnesota, it was all for the better. I found myself living with 2 other great roommates and one not-so-great roommate. Well, what can I say, we can't have it all, right? It was a risk worth taking to have not contact anybody here before coming. It was a test to myself to put myself out there and hey, guess what? I did good. Of course taking the easy route of giving people here a heads up before I came would have made my life 9543208 easier, but that was just, too simple. I like being independent and that was just not my style. 

Like the quote above, it is true in so many ways. Life does begin at the end of your comfort zone. Sure, you may think that you are living life, but can you say that you are actually living life? Ask yourself, how may times have you stepped outside of your zone? You know those times where you did something that you never thought you could do? Those times where you did something outside of the norm? If you did stop to think and came up with nothing, then I suggest you try something you never would have thought of doing soon. It may seem hard cause of that cushion of comfort of life as you have it now, but why play it safe all the time? Risks are, at times, meant to be taken and you know what? It may also be the one thing that may or may not change you life forever. Remember life it short so make the most of it while you still can. You don't want to be that 'damn, I should have...' old man or woman 50 years down the road.

Minnesota was so intimidating for me at first and never in a million years would I have thought I'd be where I am today. For that, I forever thankful and grateful to Him for guiding me down this path to this life I have now. Alhamdulillah. It wasn't that I didn't believe in myself, but I was a timid young man, starting a new chapter his life. I was about to have an experience not many would be fortunate enough to have. And, I did want to make the most of this experience. I feel like after adjusting myself to the Minnesotan way here, I got more comfortable in my own skin and I worked wonders. Classes went well, I made friends easily and 10 months later, well, I am still alive and kicking right? Getting to this point in life I am now didn't come without it's struggles of course, but I have to say, it was all worth it. I won't know what will happen in the future, but I will be optimistic and hope for more great things to come my way. 

Now that I have endured 3 different semesters here, it is time for me to head home for the summer. I am extremely excited to be heading home, but part of me will miss this place. I know I will be heading back here, but still, 2 months away from this place I have called home for the past 10 months, will perhaps be rather bittersweet for me. I hope to be able to live here for an extended period of time but like I said, I am making the most of my time here now and of course I'll work my ass off to try to get a job here after school and if it was in the books for me to stay, then I will. The experience I have had here has been bittersweet nonetheless, but along the way, I learned a lot about myself and also grown and matured into a better me. So if I had to do it all over again would I have done it any different? Absolutely not.

Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. – Mark Twain