Submitted by Alexander Hughes on the 2017 winter session program in Italy sponsored by the Department of Psychology …
I was reminded of an incredible lesson on a day trip to Venice this weekend. Earlier in my trip to Italy, I definitely did not have the confidence to wander through a new city on my own, much less one in Europe miles from home where few people speak the same language as well. Traveling through Florence, I grew more confident in my ability to find my way through a large city, but I didn’t believe I would do so well in a different environment. In Venice, I separated from the group of students I traveled with early in the day. After wandering aimlessly and not confidently, I by chance happened upon another group of students in our program.
We decided to visit a church on the edge of town, and afterwards we wanted to travel out to an island to visit a bell tower that would provide a spectacular view of the city. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the ticket for the water taxi and the taxi stop didn’t sell passes either. Finally, confident in my ability to work my way back to the San Marco Plaza where I could find a ticket, I left the group and made my way to a ticket station. I was risking not getting to the island fast enough to meet the other group and potentially getting even more lost in a large city. Worse, if I became more lost I could miss my train back to Florence.
Upon my arrival at San Marco’s water taxi stop, I found the transit system to be infinitely more complex than expected. All of a sudden, without anyone to help guide me or provide confidence, I began to chicken out and think of taking a path back to the train station. Clearly, I didn’t think I would make it to the tower in time. Better to play it safe and not get lost, but a swell of regret rang inside me. After debating with myself for about five minutes and asking no less than three of the ticket ladies how to get to the island, I purchased a ticket, hopped on what I thought was the right taxi and hoped I could catch the group.
Luck played in my favor in that moment. As it turned out, the taxi ride was short and the group was still at the top of the tower when I arrived just in time to see the sun set over one of the most beautiful views I’ve ever seen in my life. We took the water taxi back through the Grand Canal to the train station afterwards and saw the whole city from that boat. I learned once again, as it seems I always do, a little bit of confidence and the trust to ask for help, will get me a lot more out of life than backing down from a risky challenge.