Why I Chase the Scary Option

When most people hear "study abroad," they picture strolling through the streets of Italy with a gelato in hand. I get it. I've been to Italy, and it's beautiful. But when it came time to choose where I'd spend a semester, I didn't want the option everyone else was choosing.

This spring, I'm studying abroad in Cape Town, South Africa. Only three students from the University of Miami are going. Most people don't think of Africa when they think of studying abroad, and that's exactly why I picked it.

The option no one else chooses

Choosing Cape Town scares me. I'll be far from home, surrounded by people I've never met, in a place completely different from anything I know. There's no group of friends going with me and no familiar routine waiting when I land.

But that's the part I like. I know I'll grow in a way I never could if I picked the comfortable choice. I'm only young once, and I love adventure. I want to spend my weekends exploring, going on safaris, and seeing parts of the world most people only see in pictures.

The scary path throws you into situations you've never experienced before. You have to figure things out, adapt quickly, and trust yourself. That's where real growth happens. Nobody gets better by doing the same thing they've always done.

Curiosity over comfort

A lot of this mindset comes from being a first-generation college student. When you're the first in your family to go to college, all you know is what you know right now. There's no one ahead of you who can tell you what to expect.

That's what made moving from New York to Miami for college such a big step. I left everything familiar behind for a new city and a school where I didn't know anyone. I had to learn how college worked, find my people, and build a life from scratch. It was the first time I chose the scary option on my own, and it changed everything.

That experience could have made me cautious. Instead, it made me curious. I don't want to be stuck with the same lifestyle and the same information forever. I want to know what else is out there.

I know people who have never left their hometown. They might think they love it, and maybe they do. But they'll never truly know, because they've never experienced anything different. You never know how much is out there, or what you're missing, until you try it.

The same thing that built Saltline

This is the same reason I started Saltline Studios. I didn't know how to form an LLC, find boat partners, or hire instructors. The safe choice would have been to wait until I knew more, or to never start at all.

Instead, I jumped in. It was scary, and a lot of it was hard. But I learned more from building something real than I ever would have from playing it safe. Every unfamiliar situation pushed me to grow into someone who could handle the next one.

Why I'll keep choosing it

The scary option isn't always the easy one, and it doesn't always go perfectly. But it always teaches me something. It shows me what I'm capable of and opens doors I didn't know existed.

I'd rather try something new and struggle than stay comfortable and wonder what could have been. Miami was my first scary choice. Cape Town is my next one, and I already know it won't be my last.

If something scares you because it's different, that might be the best reason to do it.