It was an emotional day where my parents were overwhelmed with emotions seeing me leave the nest, and I was walking about with an admittedly fake smile on my face. Luckily, I had a handful of my childhood friends on the same flight, reaching The Netherlands at the same time. We all spent the first week together, so I never really felt alone at first.

A few days ago, I was on a call with one of my friends who came to the Netherlands with me, and we were reminiscing the days when we had just arrived and how much we’ve changed over the years. We mentioned a few stories that quite accurately described how much we’ve both changed for the better over the years.

In my case, one particular aspect stood out. Two years ago, I was very closed off and shy. I never really enjoyed opening up to people and taking pictures because I either felt I wasn’t interesting or looked bad in pictures, respectively. As opposed to now, where I am posting random puns and stories on Twitter, and meeting new people who follow me as a result of my fascinating tweets. I’ve also been taking more pictures of myself, sending random selfies to friends.

Overall, I’ve gotten much more confident in myself over the past two years. Which, I believe, is a result of me taking that first step, going to a different country and being forced to adapt.

On the call, we both came to the consensus that leaving our comfort zone is what catalyzed such immense growth. Naturally, leaving the country isn’t the only way to get out of your comfort zone, but that is where I felt most comfortable. Some people may disagree, but I still think it is possible to grow within your comfort zone. However, your growth is limited to your comfort zone, and when you finally leave it, the possibilities are endless!