It is not the critic who counts

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

Theodor Roosevelt, "Citizenship in a republic"- April 23rd 1910

This is a quote that really has inspired me, especially in my current situation.

Me, as well as many of my fellow exchange students, every once in a while receive one of those comments that can take you down. "Your spanish is still very bad", "they speak better than you do" or "You aren't adapting very well".

These comments are always delivered by someone outside of the arena.
Someone sitting at a safe distance from the discomfort, exposure, risk and vulnerability. By someone who has no idea what it is like, being stripped of all you call home, all you call safe, who has never felt the enormous exposure and risk of coming to a culture a mile away from your own, to a language you've never spoken and without knowing a single person.

But hey. I could not care less about these people, unless they are giving me something constructive, something substantial to work with.
Because I, as well as alot of exchangers all over the world, am in the arena. If someone is to randomly criticize, they better step down here first. Otherwise I don't value their opinion.
We try, we risk, we succeed and we fail, but at least when we do, we do so daring greatly.

Stay strong, stay safe, value life and SMILE