It’s so hard to get out of bed when it’s cold outside and warm inside your bed, and you know you have to wake up anyway. That’s how it feels to be a volunteer; you don’t have to, but you should. I get yanked back to the abyss of an uncomfortable zone the moment I get close to the edge. It may sound like someone is about to give up, but nay, I have thought about it, but it’s not worth it.

I should have known my comfort zone was bound to be shattered. During Pre-Service Training, I had to leave my warm city bed just to be in the cold village bed (if you want to call it a bed). The training site was literally cold compared to where I was coming from. I got used to the cold, or maybe the weather was getting warm; my comfort zone was in sight, I could feel it, so warm. Then I got posted to the other side of the country, which feels like another planet, perhaps Mercury, one close to the sun. I went from not knowing sweat to being drenched.

For someone who watches a lot of comedy skits, you would think they would be okay performing a single skit for about 40 people. You couldn’t be more wrong; I was scared for my life during Pre-Service Training when this opportunity presented itself. There was no opportunity at that time; it was the world working against me. I had always felt like a big skit star without even doing one skit; that was my first time performing, and it was not compulsory. I looked the challenge in the face, and now I see where I stand; still scared but not like before, and I know where to improve.

From being in my room most of the time to associating with 90-plus people every day was so demanding on my social battery. During Pre-Service Training, it was encouraged to associate with everyone; however, it was unavoidable, as these people were in my space all the time, suffocating me. After weeks of training, I grew accustomed to it, and my daily social battery was barely scratched. I got into another environment only to get to people who speak my language and their own, but prefer to speak their own. Small things like greetings, I now have to think about when I’m responding or initiating.

I know I’m complaining here about the weather, social burnout, and the reincarnation of this torturous monster. You can call it a monster, problems, or challenges, but it’s clear that solving one doesn’t mean you’re in the clear forever; but you get to grow in the process. Change doesn’t make sense from a lot of viewpoints, but it’s necessary to embrace it. If you don’t face them, they don’t shy away; they face you, take up the challenge, and face them with a brave face. Get out of your warm bed and face the cold, cold-heartedly.