Following through with my New Year resolution of getting out of my comfort zone, there were quite a number of things that I tried. I did things that ranged from going out with strangers to leading a nationwide charity project.
Starting college here at the Samtse College of Education, I was debating whether or not I should run for councillorship. A councilor is practically like being a captain or prefect in school. However, college councilors have a lot more responsibilities as well as authority.
In my other life, I would have never even thought about running for it. Before even getting elected, I would need to make a speech about why I would was the best candidate. That was a terrifying thought. I would never voluntarily speak in public. However, 2019 is the start of a new Pema, a Pema who is not afraid to get out of her comfort zone. That’s what I told myself anyway. I ended up running and winning the councilorship. But in the midst of telling myself that I needed to get out of my comfort zone, I forgot that I am still the same old Pema.
Being a councilor means that I have to be in charge of the hostel. I have to make sure all the girls in my block are back on time (the curfew is at 9 pm, by the way), make them clean the hostel and toilets. To be honest, I was not really sure what I was signing up for. I just wanted a certificate and to prove to myself that I could get out of my comfort zone. I am really not comfortable with telling adults what to do. This also leads to a lot of conflict between me and the other students. Being their friend, they expect me to help them out as a councilor. I usually do if it’s something that doesn’t go beyond the rules. However, if it is something extreme, I cannot do anything that might not be fair to the other students.
There are many other things that I did not expect that I would have to do. This includes being the dinner lady every Tuesday night. At our college, every Tuesday and Friday, they have special dinners. The councilors are divided on these two days to help serve food to the students. I don’t really understand why it’s assumed that college-going adults cannot serve their own food.
I also worked as a server and usherer for most of the international conference at our college. This included waking up at 6 am and making sure all the guests were fed and all the dishes were clean. I despise things like serving food at events or doing household work especially because these are roles that society has deemed right for women. Hence, to go against this notion, I’ve never really tried to do any such work and that could also explain why I can be very clumsy.
Other than that, there is a lot of making speeches or public speaking. I am okay with this because that was expected. I also do need a lot of improvement with my public speaking as well as confidence so I’m hoping this will help.
Although there are times I wish I had not signed up for this, I also know that I would have regretted it if I hadn’t done so. Through every experience, no matter how exhausting it is, I am gaining a new skill and perspective. I am also trying to get myself to actually say things out and bring changes rather than complaining like I am doing right now. However, after a few years, I think that looking back, I will be happy that I was brave enough to get out of my comfort zone.