Eleanor Roosevelt said: "A woman is like a tea bag - you can't tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water." Tell us about a time you felt your strength.
I love this quote from Ms. Roosevelt. I felt my strength seep out in hot water when I first arrived in Barcelona for a semester long study abroad program in January 2008. Stepping off the plane, I was simultaneously excited and scared out of my mind. I was in a new foreign country by myself for the first time.
Upon landing I called my parents assuring them that I had landed safely. My Dad warned me to keep an eye out at the airport. After checking in with my program and meeting a few other students in my program at the airport, I headed toward the airport exit to catch a taxi to my home stay. I was pushing a cart stacked high with luggage with my laptop bag on top. Upon exiting I was stopped by woman asking me a question. She spoke in fast Spanish and I felt bad that I couldn't understand her. "Lo siento, no comprendo," I said with regret. I continued walking and was then stopped by a man who was told me where to go for the taxi line. As I was about to reply in my broken Spanish I saw a tall man in a black trench coat and top hat out of the corner of my eye. I watched as he swiftly snatched by laptop bag by the handle and walked away. I sense of panic spread across my body. I acted on my initial reaction and lunged forward grabbing the bag back. "Excuse me!," I exclaimed as I took back my bag filled with my laptop and all my electronics. The man who had been talking to me slowly slumped away. My terror dissipated into shock and relief. I finally hailed a taxi and loaded my precious cargo into the trunk. I breathed a sigh of relief. I gave the taxi driver my home stay's address and we sped off into the city.
I will always look back on this incident and think about what could have happened. Had I not grabbed my bag back, I would have lost hundreds of dollars in electronics and been without technology for a good part of my stay. I felt my strength that day and I thank God that He gave me that strength.
I love this quote from Ms. Roosevelt. I felt my strength seep out in hot water when I first arrived in Barcelona for a semester long study abroad program in January 2008. Stepping off the plane, I was simultaneously excited and scared out of my mind. I was in a new foreign country by myself for the first time.
Upon landing I called my parents assuring them that I had landed safely. My Dad warned me to keep an eye out at the airport. After checking in with my program and meeting a few other students in my program at the airport, I headed toward the airport exit to catch a taxi to my home stay. I was pushing a cart stacked high with luggage with my laptop bag on top. Upon exiting I was stopped by woman asking me a question. She spoke in fast Spanish and I felt bad that I couldn't understand her. "Lo siento, no comprendo," I said with regret. I continued walking and was then stopped by a man who was told me where to go for the taxi line. As I was about to reply in my broken Spanish I saw a tall man in a black trench coat and top hat out of the corner of my eye. I watched as he swiftly snatched by laptop bag by the handle and walked away. I sense of panic spread across my body. I acted on my initial reaction and lunged forward grabbing the bag back. "Excuse me!," I exclaimed as I took back my bag filled with my laptop and all my electronics. The man who had been talking to me slowly slumped away. My terror dissipated into shock and relief. I finally hailed a taxi and loaded my precious cargo into the trunk. I breathed a sigh of relief. I gave the taxi driver my home stay's address and we sped off into the city.
I will always look back on this incident and think about what could have happened. Had I not grabbed my bag back, I would have lost hundreds of dollars in electronics and been without technology for a good part of my stay. I felt my strength that day and I thank God that He gave me that strength.
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