This is the conversation I have every time I meet someone new:

Stranger: So where are you from?

Me: I'm from Connecticut, actually.

Stranger: Really, What are you doing here at Mississippi State?

Me (in a talkative mood): Well it's a long story, I started off at Xavier University in OH, it's a small school you probably only heard of it because of its basketball team... (goes on for 5 min)

Me (in a non-talkative mood): You know I'm not really sure, just kind of ended up here.

I am faced with the question "Why are you here?" in the past 1.5 years more often than most. Sometimes, it can get annoying and I hate having to explain myself. But other times, it reminds me just how amazing my journey is. I have travelled more than most and have had to learn to adapt to new situations time and time again. My anomalous college experience has made me stronger. I never in a million years thought this would be my life.

It's a peculiar thing to feel out of place. Maybe you experienced it when you studied abroad or travelled somewhere new. I know how that feels. Spending 4 months in Nicaragua with thrown-together Spanish proved it's difficulties. Sometimes after spending 3+ hours hand washing my laundry, missing my boyfriend who I hadn't seen in months, sweating in 95 degree weather without air-conditioning, or getting calls cut in the middle because of questionable wifi, I would asked myself "What am I doing here?"

But I always found my answer. Every night before bed, I would sit on the upper-porch and just look into the stars, and I always found my answer. I was here to learn how other cultures live and form timeless relationships. I was here to see the glory of God in his people and nature. I was here to realize the privilege I was born into and the responsibility to be there for those who are struggling. I was here to learn that even though I may look and speak differently from others here, we can still deeply connect as humans. I was here to meet my second family, that will always be my "familia Nica." I was here to chisel some of the not-so-pretty parts of me and find purpose through others. The question "Why am I here?" always reminded me of the deeper mission of my life.

After transferring schools to Mississippi State for several different reasons you can read about here, I never really escaped the question "Why am I here?" Adjusting to a whole new school with in the South was also difficult. I had to step out of my comfort zone every day to talk to new people and make new friends. I had to find new clubs to join, a new job, navigate through a new major and so on. But as the days passed and the connections I made blossomed, I started to make a new place feel like home. It's an even more peculiar thing to make a new place feel like home.

I now know I am here to become something greater than I ever imagined as a freshman entering college. I am here to explore different pathways and new possibilities. I am here for the sake of personal joy and fulfillment. I am here because I decided I was up for the challenge and have never looked back. I am here to become more than I was before.

Stepping outside of your comfort zone comes with feeling out of place. But that is so important for growth and personal discovery. Staying in your own bubble will do nothing to challenge your perspective or beliefs. Even though it can be a pain to answer time and time again, I am lucky enough to be asked "Why are you here?" as I am constantly challenged to reflect upon my purpose in life, something that can be so easily forgotten in the day-to-day.

If you haven't recently been asked. "What are you doing here" or "Why are you here?" you haven't stepped out of your comfort zone enough. Feeling out of place is essential to shape your personal journey. Don't base your life on what you grew up doing or what is comfortable. Build your own future by exploring what is different or unknown to you. Visiting new places, volunteering, and even interacting with those you wouldn't normally means an opportunity for a strange place to feel like home.

So now it's my turn to deflect the avoided question and ask you, "Why are you here?"