Exploring the Uncomfortable
I must admit that after months of the "thrill" of the idea of studying abroad, which undoubtably started the day I received my acceptance letter, my departure had arrived and I was nervous. Sitting in the front seat of my parents car as they drove me to the Calgary airport, I realized that I was physically, but not necessary mentality, prepared for this new reality. I had checked all the tedious checkboxes for moving - apply for visa, pack up my apartment, quit my job, etc - and said all my goodbyes to my awesome family and friends back home. However, I never thought about this until that moment in the car: "why am I leaving everything, stepping outside my comfort zone, to move to some country I have never visited and to start a Masters program at a school I've never heard of??!"
The unknown can be terrifying. Being uncomfortable is uncomfortable. But over the past four months in the KIC InnoEnergy (IE) Program, I have fully embraced this new opportunity - what once was the "un-comfort-able zone" is actually an amazingly new experience filled with almost limitless chances to develop and grow personally and technically.
I have been lucky to meet so many cool people here in Lisbon from all over the world - those on Erasmus and through InnoEnergy. IE really sees the value in its students making connections from those of other countries and cultures and goes the extra mile for us to do so. The first years from all the seven different Masters programs met in November at the annual 2-day KIC-Off event near Frankfurt to introduce each other and explore ideas in the sustainable energy field. Afterwards, all the students from the ENTECH program went to a castle in a small German village for 4 nights and as a group worked on personal and team building skills. But it was in the evenings when the bar opened, the music and laughter started flowing, you got a sense that this is where the REAL connections were being made.
Moreover by doing my masters with IE, I have the opportunity to grow technically by taking advantage of the renewable expertise in two locations which will provide me with different perspectives on these technologies. Also, the IE Community support of alumni and events help students connect and gain access to the startup environment.
These past four months have been a blast mainly because of the awesome people I've met and things we have done together! I plan on updating this blog on the wonderful experiences I am having on this 2-year journey with them - here's to a Happy 2017!
- the chilled-out Canadian
