Undergraduate / I was a teenager thrust into the world of adults; COMMON APP [6]

Natan Azizov

When my brother offered me the night-shift managerial position at his restaurant, I was excited to start making a little money. Little did I know that working at that rustic pizzeria was going to revolutionize my life. I was a teenager thrust into the world of adults. It became a place where I learned things I never imagined I would learn. A simple and primitive fast food joint for many became my second home where I learned life lessons and where I was able to discover who I was and who I wanted to be. I went from being perceived as a naive child to being respected and held on equal footing to as the authoritative adults I was so afraid of.

I was always extremely shy. In school I was able to go for weeks without muttering a single word to a human soul. When my brother offered me a job, I almost refused because I couldn't stomach the thought of having to interact with all the people. My first day was extremely scary. I remember how scared I was when I stepped behind the counter for my first day. All the workers stared at me as if I was some confused customer who forgot where the line to the register was. Everyone there was about triple my age. I never felt more out of place in my life. All the customers were intimidating and unforgiving. Nobody cared if I had trouble talking or if I was shy. They just wanted their food and their change. My social anxiety was crippling me. I was barely able to ask the customers what they wanted to order. I didn't want to be this shy for the rest of my life so I decided to stick with it. Everyday I would go back to work and try to talk to people until I felt like I was going to throw up. After weeks I noticed it started getting easier. Instead of stuttering on every word now it was every other word.

I worked there for half a year almost. The amount of money I gained pales in comparison with the life lessons I learned there. I learned how to make friends, how to joke with people, and how not to take everything so seriously. I learned how to actually talk to someone. Everyday I go back there I am stricken with waves of nostalgia as a reminiscence how I slowly broke my social anxiety barrier piece by piece. It was the hardest thing I ever had to to in my life and I'm still a long way from done.