Mandy
An Appetite for Adventure I was once pretty sheltered, living in quiet cities where there were not much to get excited about. But I have learnt to appreciate the beauty of adventure after spending a year in a metropolis, where I found myself surrounded by things I had never been exposed to. To be more exact, the new environment revealed part of me that I never knew before, a self with a thirst for the unknown. I tried countless new things during that one year, which I call adventures, although they may be nothing compared to things like climbing the Himalayas. By adventure, I just mean stepping out of my comfort zone. For example, I jumped off a platform about four stories high during a training program. I listened to concerts and watched operas as much as I could (because the fees were very low in the city). I gave a speech to a large audience in a foreign language. I travelled overseas on my own, met pen pals and chatted with strangers. I went to an overseas Zen camp, learning about a new philosophy together with young people from all around the world. In the past, I always looked at anything unfamiliar with apprehension, and shied away from it as a result. But I now know that what’s new won’t kill you, nor will embarrassment and failure that may come along. Every time you try something new, you are pushing forward your boundary and expanding your world. You never know what you are capable of if you don’t try. In my case, I never knew that it would be OK for me to wander alone on an exotic land, that I could appear so calm and in control speaking in public, that I could make friends with people from different cultural backgrounds. Every time you venture into a new area, whatever the result, there will always be a gratifying sense of achievement. A word that cropped up in a lecture came across my mind from time to time. A professor of mine once spoke of the lasting effect of someone’s experiences in his “formative” years. Now I can say that I am grateful for having developed an appetite for adventure in my formative phase of life. And once the momentum starts, it never stops.
Apr 12, 2014 7:43 AM
Corrections · 25
2

An Appetite for Adventure

 

I once lived a sheltered life in a quiet city where there were not many things to get excited about. After spending a year in a large metropolis, I learned to appreciate the beauty of nature and found myself surrounded by many new things that I had never been exposed to before. To be more specific, this new environment revealed a part of me that I had never noticed before, a self with a thirst for the unknown.

During my first year there, I tried countless new and adventurous things. Although they might not be compared to climbing the Himalayas, it meant that I would have to step out of my comfort zone. For example, as part of a training program, I had to jump off of a platform about four stories high. For entertainment, because the fees were low in the city, I went to several concerts and watched as many operas as I could. I once gave a speech to a large audience in a foreign language. I traveled overseas on my own, met new pen pals, and chatted with strangers. I went to an overseas Zen camp and learned about a new philosophy together with other young people from around the world.

In the past, I always looked at anything unfamiliar with apprehension, and shied away from it as a result. But now I know that trying new things won't kill you, nor will the embarrassment or failure that may come along. Every time you try something new, you are pushing your boundary (or boundaries) forward and expanding your world. You never know what you are capable of if you don’t try. In my case, I never knew that it would be OK for me to wander alone on an exotic land, that I could appear so calm and in control speaking in public, that I could make friends with people from different cultural backgrounds. Every time you venture into a new area, whatever the result, there will always be a gratifying sense of achievement.

A word that cropped up in lecture comes across my mind from time to time. A professor of mine once spoke of the lasting effect of someone’s experiences in his “formative” years. Now I can say that I am grateful for having developed an appetite for adventure in my formative phase of life. And once the momentum starts, it never stops.

 

I rearranged Tom's correction for the convience for the other learners.

What a great essay this is! The correction is also great.

 

 

April 16, 2014

Self-correction

A word that cropped up in a lecture came come across my mind from time to time.

April 12, 2014
So interesting! I envy your life! ;)
April 20, 2014
@Mandy and Eli: Thank you for your kind explanation.
April 20, 2014
@shou & Mandy: I like the way you have explained that, Mandy, and I hope it has made my words clearer for you, shou. Another way of expressing it which is very similar would be to say; "we will always be learning so there is no end to be reached or concerned about". Also, apologies for the late reply. It seems I don't receive notifications for messages left after I have made a comment.
April 19, 2014
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