Submitted by Abigail Vanover on the 2016 winter session program in Dominica sponsored by the Department of Geography…
It’s almost been a full week since I’ve been out of the country for the first time ever. Not only is this my first time abroad, but I’m doing it without my parents, my friends, anyone I know – I went into this experience knowing no one. You could say I’m very, very out of my comfort zone.
I always wanted to study abroad, to explore the world, instead of just seeing and reading about other people’s adventures. I’m quickly finding out that studying abroad is nothing like what I expected. It’s a whole other sort of challenge. So far, I’ve been constantly forced to re-adjust my opinions, preferences and habits because of the country I am in and the people I am with.
This isn’t a bad thing. In the long run, I know it will be an experience that I will never regret and will take away more than what I lose because what I’m losing are my fears and my prejudices. The trappings of privilege that I did not earn, but was rather born into because of the work of my parents and their parents before them.
Here in Dominica, the lifestyle is different and so is the level of wealth. Here in Dominica, I quickly realized just how much I depended on a mass availability of goods and services to keep me happy and occupied in the United States. You know what they don’t have in Dominica, or at least none that I’ve come across? Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts. You know who buys coffee at least once a day when in Newark, DE? Me. I also don’t have regular access to the internet or my phone here. I’m lucky to check my email every couple of days or to have steady WiFi for twenty minutes. What I take for granted in my daily life is a privilege, not a right, in a country like Dominica.
It’s a little bit of a jolt to go through these realizations and it can even be a little uncomfortable. It’s not pleasant to realize just how many biases lurk beneath your own awareness. However, I know that you can never learn by kicking back in your comfort zone and calling it a day. It takes effort to get out, explore and have the kinds of experiences that you’ll never forget. Dominica 2016 is out of my comfort zone. It’s an entirely different kind of adventure for me, and one I’m looking forward to living in for the next few weeks.