There have been tons of learning experiences through my life but as silly as this might sound one experience that has impacted me until today was "learning" to eat sushi. As a little kid I used to eat terribly. Other than sweets, my daily menu could not go past pasta or chicken nuggets and fries. No veggies, no fruits, no complex looking plates, no exotic dishes at all. I can remember the long hours of crying in EC-4 because I had a party at school the next day and there was going to be pizza- a plate that had tomato and I clearly had no interest in trying. Being selective with the food I ate reflected my fear for trying new things. When I was invited to a friends house where there was a dish I didn't like I said my stomach hurt or that I had eaten earlier, avoiding the situation completely. I prejudged a plate by its looks or made assumptions of what it would taste like.
I remember vividly the time I learned to eat sushi. This was about a year ago, I was in a 2x2 table with my friends Jorge, Michela, Jana and Carope. It was the fourth time we went to EDO that month and not a single sushi had touched my mouth. They started with what they called "positive" peer pressure as usual. This time they kept on going for so long that it finally worked.
I tried one.
Right away my first thought was spitting the roll out but they stared at me as if it was critical for me to approve their 'worshiped' rolls.
I swallowed.
That piece of sushi, with ingredients I was completely unaware about, surprisingly delighted me in such way that I can't explain how much I regret not trying it before. I know many may be wondering why a story of how I went out a saturday night with my friends to dinner is so significant. Personally, this experience was a lesson learned and taught me to be open minded to new situations. I found that you never know what you can find if you take risks and that sometimes getting out of your comfort zone into something unfamiliar allows you to find what you truly love. That simple experience marked me and made me into the daring individual I am today. Not only I am not afraid to try new things but it is something I constantly look for. I am always willing to discover, something extremely important in the innovation process and will be a vital mentality to keep for the following two years in order to find out what I am passionate about and what I will dedicate to in the future.
I remember vividly the time I learned to eat sushi. This was about a year ago, I was in a 2x2 table with my friends Jorge, Michela, Jana and Carope. It was the fourth time we went to EDO that month and not a single sushi had touched my mouth. They started with what they called "positive" peer pressure as usual. This time they kept on going for so long that it finally worked.
I tried one.
Right away my first thought was spitting the roll out but they stared at me as if it was critical for me to approve their 'worshiped' rolls.
I swallowed.
That piece of sushi, with ingredients I was completely unaware about, surprisingly delighted me in such way that I can't explain how much I regret not trying it before. I know many may be wondering why a story of how I went out a saturday night with my friends to dinner is so significant. Personally, this experience was a lesson learned and taught me to be open minded to new situations. I found that you never know what you can find if you take risks and that sometimes getting out of your comfort zone into something unfamiliar allows you to find what you truly love. That simple experience marked me and made me into the daring individual I am today. Not only I am not afraid to try new things but it is something I constantly look for. I am always willing to discover, something extremely important in the innovation process and will be a vital mentality to keep for the following two years in order to find out what I am passionate about and what I will dedicate to in the future.