Where magic happens – outside of the comfort zone (Part 1)

This time with a guest post by a lovely and dedicated networker, Nino Khachiashvili. Thanks for your contribution.

You have indeed heard this quote: “a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor”.

Did you now start thinking about yourself? Can you say you have gone far beyond your comfort zone to grow and understand people and the world better?

Whether yes or no, you will start thinking about it after reading this article.

I was 18 when I moved to Germany for studying my Bachelor Degree of International Business here. For a girl like me, who only knew the address of home and school in Georgia, this decision was frightening and at the same time very exciting.

I remember me arriving in Stuttgart airport, eyes wide open, searching for the train station and hoping Karlsruhe would welcome me warmly! The first German conversation (not so pleasant one) I had, was in the train. I had a luggage weighing 35 kilos and one German mister shouting at me: “you are blocking one seat, there is a special space for luggages and you should put it up!” Oh dear god, I thought. Where am I? Why is this man so angry at me? I asked him to help me put it up. Otherwise, even if he’d shout for 2 more hours I would not be able to put my heavy luggage up “to the saint place where they belong”. Dear unknown man, if you are reading this article, I am not angry at you and check out my profile, I think I have contributed to this country quite a bit. I was not an irritating tourist, I came here to bring benefits to Germany and to the world! Besides paying taxes, I worked at German Red Cross voluntarily, I help people on daily basis and most importantly I do it with love and truly enjoy it.

Then I arrived in Karlsruhe and the first cultural shock was the Badisch dialect. “Karllsruh’ die Perl des schönste Ländles uff da Welt!” Hajo, dear Badisch, you made me feel as if the German I learned was a completely different language. But thank you for the funny experiences I wouldn’t have had without you existing in this wonderful city where Margrave Karl III. Wilhelm found his peace and named it Karlsruhe.

The positive result of these experiences is that the secret part of your brain starts thinking and acting. You start growing. You discover small things you’ve never perceived before.

I don’t think we were made the way we are. We learn it from the first day of our lives and copy each others too much – not to create chaos. But is that the right way? Just because of your destiny you were born in a country A or B. But should you stay there?

Do you think we challenge ourselves and question our daily decisions enough? 

“International life” Definition of the word (my heart dictionary): 

Life full of adventures, traveling, finding home in different countries and people who just stay in memory but not in our lives. It’s somehow sad, isn’t it? 

Let me know what your thoughts are! –> Nino Khachiashvili