Calm, cool and collective?

By Allie Brickner

When you travel internationally, you prepare and expect to see new things but what you cannot prepare for is how you will change and grow as a person by expanding your horizons and opening your comfort zone to new opportunities.

A couple of months ago I received a gracious scholarship from the Walton Sustainability Solutions Initiatives to take a month abroad in Brazil for a capstone experience. The rollercoaster of emotions that followed the news was enough to make anyone sick. The first emotion I experienced was excitement. I was about to solve sustainability problems in one of the world’s most beautiful countries, my dream come true!

Suddenly a wave of reality came crashing down on me. Although unwelcome, I now was experiencing my second stage of emotions: shock. What did I get myself into? I don’t speak Portuguese, how on Earth am I going to find my way around a foreign country that speaks a foreign language? How am I going to pay for it? What do I pack? What if I get lost? You can only imagine how this endless lists continues…

Get it together, Allie! I had to focus and compose myself to move to the next emotion: calm. Well to be honest I am still not there. Not even close. Perhaps I should call this emotion “less shocked and scared.” Checking the marks on the to-do lists is the only way to alleviate the anxiety of traveling abroad. Passport, check. Visa, check. Vaccinations, check. Practice Portuguese, check. Pack, check. Enough money, ehhh close enough.

Traveling is not new to me yet, I am still a little shaky and anxious. I backpacked through six counties in Europe after high school graduation with one other person. I studied abroad in Australia on my own for six months and did various other trips around the U.S. solo. I know I will have an incredible experience in Brazil but, I think of it like public speaking. No matter how much practice or experience I have, I will never feel comfortable standing in a vulnerable spotlight.

Now that you are super intrigued and inspired by this post, I suppose I will tell you a little bit about who I am. My name is Allie Brickner and after this summer class I will officially graduate with my undergraduate degree from Arizona State University. I will receive a bachelor of science in sustainability and a bachelor of science in supply chain management. I grew up in Chandler, Arizona and I will be moving to Indianapolis this July to start my first big girl job. I am experiencing the ultimate capstone to my bachelor’s degree by studying human rights and sustainability in Brazil.

I am intrigued to learn about human rights in a developing country because I think it is the keystone social piece of sustainability. You cannot be sustainable without society having essential needs, equity and freedoms. Growing up in an upper-middle class family in the richest country on Earth has shielded me from some of the realities of the world. I will have hands-on experiences in Brazil that will help me grow as an individual and understand sustainability and social implications at a much deeper level.