Getting on a plane is one of my first real memory. I was about 2 years old and flying to Israel with my family. For years flying seemed completely normal to me - I didn't particularly enjoy it, nor did I complain about it. It was just one other way to get to point A to point B, well when the points far enough apart on the map. But suddenly something changed. Around the age of 14, I became terrified of getting on a plane. For some inexplicable reason, I started picturing it as something that was putting my life at risk. Between nightmares of planes crashing and anxious sleepless nights, all excitement to go on a trip was gone when I knew I involved getting on an airplane. That year, I had the opportunity to go abroad on my own to study a foreign language. I could have gone to Spain, Malta, the US, etc... I decided to spend my whole summer break in London, England - Officially because I wanted to improve my English and live in the city. But in reality, it was my only option to avoid flying. I realized that it was starting to seriously affect my life. I had to do something about it. I had to get over my fear of flying if I ever wanted to travel the world and enjoy the whole experience.
It took a lot of time to reflect on myself and try to find the origins of my anxiety. I never wanted to seek professional help because I was convinced that I was the only one who could do something about it. And slowly but surely I re-learned how to fly. I put myself in the position why taking a plane wasn't an option. It was something I had to do no matter how I felt about it. I met with a flight attendant, who was a family friend, and she explained to me why she actually felt safer than most human being because she was spending more than half of her life on a plane. I confronted my fear instead of avoiding it. I looked at the probability of a crash and compared it to driving a car or even riding a bicycle. Rationality was telling me that I had nothing to be scared of. I forced myself to get on as many planes as I could... And eventually it worked...
Flying planes has become a major part of my life, especially now that I spend a lot of time in California And if I ever get anxious about getting on a plane, I know I have to get over it. Globe trotters just can't be scared of flying! I chose to share this experience on this blog because it had a great influence on my personality. When interviewers ask me to talk about a personal experience that I am proud of, this story sometimes come through my mind. Facing my fear and getting over it by myself gave me more self confidence. Now I know that if I really want to change something, I can make it happen.
2 comments:
Hi Julie,
I'm in your e-Marketing class. Your story is so interesting! I sometimes get a little anxious when I fly too, so this post was nice to read.
I love your blog design, by the way - it's great!
Wow Julie, I've been following your blog and noticed some similarities between my travel experiences and your own. I studied abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark a few years back and seemed to have a very similar situation as you. Although you were on to your third culture it seems, this was my first time on a plane so you can imagine my nerves of the potential culture shock I was about to encounter, that is if I could first navigate international layovers and actually get to my destination. I did not have a roommate from the host country but I lived in International housing and had people from 5 different countries in my same hall and over 15 in the one complex with all of us congregating to a central courtyard. This one trip opened my mind to so many different cultures and was an amazing experience. It also introduced me to international travel and I quickly fell in love with it and now have been to 10 other countries and am always looking to plan that next trip, which it seems similar to what you are doing now. You went into the trip obviously with an open mind and ready to learn which I think is the best way to go about anything like this because it creates a completely different experience and allows you to soak up so much more while you are there. I hope your travel continues and you keep enjoying the many different cultures that are around you. I look forward to hearing more of your traveling experiences as I am sure you have plenty. I am also glad you got over your fear of flying, your whole life could have been different if you didn't overcome that, congratulations.
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