Going Outside of My Comfort Zone

Leaving my friends and family from South Dakota and moving to an unfamiliar place over 1,000 miles away from home is the most adventurous thing that I have ever done. I remember being excited yet scared to move 22 hours away. Luckily, my doubts were assuaged after the first two weeks of Pre-Service Orientation.  Over the course of orientation, I learned a lot about my fellow National Health Corps members and the National Health Corps Florida Program. The team building activities we participated in gave us the opportunity to share things that we wouldn’t normally share with friends, let alone a group of strangers. We shared our fears, our beliefs, and our hopes for the future. In just a short time, I was able to feel comfortable around a diverse group of people who had their own unique backgrounds. Team building was an important part of orientation, and it will likely play a vital role throughout our term of service. 

One team building activity that was especially challenging and memorable was the ropes course at the University of North Florida. When I first learned that participating in a ropes course was a part of our so-called “orientation,” I was admittedly nervous. Seeing as how I believe I have the worst luck when it comes to adventurous activities, I imagined myself falling from the tree in an un-Tarzan like fashion. Needless to say, I was very nervous and did not want to participate.

When we arrived to the ropes course, we played some team building games before splitting up into three groups to complete the ropes course. The course involved walking on wire ropes over 40 feet in the air. During the ropes course, each team had to balance on each other while working around obstacles. One challenging part of the course was when we had to walk backwards across a wired rope with our eyes closed. The ropes course taught us that throughout our term of service we might be placed in situations that are out of our comfort zones but with the support of other members we can accomplish anything.

My host site at Tobacco-Free Jacksonville has given me the opportunity to do things out of my comfort zone. I have been responsible for contacting schools to start Students Working Against Tobacco clubs. Part of my role is to meet with the administration at each of the schools.  I was so nervous for my first meeting because I was worried that I wouldn’t know the answer to a question that they had about the program. Luckily, the Students Working Against Tobacco Program Coordinator was able to come with me to my first meeting. It was reassuring to have her with me for guidance and to answer any questions that I was unsure of. Thinking back to orientation and the ropes course, I realize how important teamwork is to successfully accomplish a task. In the future, I will feel more confident knowing that I have the support of my fellow AmeriCorps members and my team at Tobacco-Free Jacksonville.

This blog post was written by NHC Florida member, Amber Nase.

Amber serves at Tobacco Free Jacksonville Coalition as a Health Educator.