Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change
It all started in the beginning of summer 2016. I had everything planned to do my Erasmus Program. There were two destinations you could apply for, Malta and Spain (Barcelona). At the time, my heart was deeply inclined to Barcelona, it was the most sought after destination, and the one offering the most opportunities. Safe to say that I was already daydreaming of going to a Barça game to watch Leo play, of course. This joy just kept growing inside of me, however, something not so good happened, which would turn into a great lesson later.
The prologue
Only 3 years remained for me to finish my degree, and I faced a crucial decision: pursue a course related to my field or stick to another program. Additionally, I had to choose between staying in my hometown or seeking better opportunities in Lisbon (Portugal), with many more opportunities to offer. It would cost me a 1-hour train ride every morning, but I was convinced it would be worth it.
One of the main reasons I wanted to study there was because of the Erasmus program that some schools offered. You get to study and work abroad for 2 to 6 months in another European country, and I was very excited about that.
I did my best during those last 3 years. I worked really hard on my grades since only the top 50 students of the entire school would be able to join the group of travelers, and believe me, there were some smart people there (like national robotics contest winners).
However, if you set yourself a goal and focus on it, I’m 110% sure that sooner or later it will happen. Now, until you haven’t truly set your mind to it, you’ll never unlock your true potential.
Not so fast
Despite filling my application with Barcelona as my preference, I ended up being placed in the group going to Malta. About 95% of my class was going to Barcelona, and that made me feel somehow disappointed and left behind, by no means I was a shy person but I used to rely a lot on my closer friends to get by and they took a completely different route than mine. Still, looking back, how silly of a broke young student to complain about going to a beautiful island for some “workcation” and still managing to complain about it.
I believe we’re all entitled to feel and react to these situations in the way we think we’ll express ourselves the most. I was never, am still not a fan of bottling any type of emotions.
But there I was, and I had +3 months ahead of me and I was not going to back down at the finish line, so I asked myself:
What if you embrace it, instead of resisting it?
Following my arrival in Malta, I set a few goals to myself to keep my mind and heart in check. I was going to go above and beyond in all situations to see the best in all things and to make the most of any situation that life was going to present me.
The absence of my closest friends opened new opportunities to make new connections, and strengthen existing ones.
The nature, the ocean, and the beauty I discovered on that island, still to this day leaves me speechless.
The people, the food and the scenery were almost all the time breathtaking, and no wonder why they filmed Game of Thrones there (still not over the ending though).
Chess, not checkers
By the time I came back to Portugal, I had finished my internship with a nice evaluation and it was time to seek a job in my field. And after 3 months of struggling, taking a lot of no’s in job interviews, I didn’t give up and I finally landed my first job.
During the interview, I was asked about my experience background, and I proudly expressed how great it was my time in Malta, the interviewer then mentioned that the company was based in Malta, and how rarely it was to find candidates that have worked or had any experience in the country. It was safe to say that me having gone there influenced their decision into hiring me, at the end all dots connected.
Conclusion
Stay adaptive, embrace change, you never know what this will lead next.
