The nomad's thrilling discoveries

The first time I made the decision to go after one of my dreams of becoming involved in a global conservation project, I ended up on a “slave ship” in the middle of the Banda Sea. Now, this ship was indeed employed to transport servants, cargo and slaves long time ago, and it was still used to transport people in the most obscenely inhumane way I have experienced. The space allotted for most travelers was the size of a gym mat and we had to sleep in that space with our backpack and gears as well, which we did not trust to throw in the cargo hold. If you were lucky, you were not trapped in the middle of this stacked human cage matrix, and could easily move to the port side for some fresh air.
Our group of travelers were from all over the world, with the intent of converging on a remote Indonesian island that even the locals could not tell us the location. This was the first trip I have made by myself as a young adult still progressing through her university education. The time between arrival and take off from Bali was scheduled to be 6 weeks. As I laid on the mat, t-shirt drenched in the sticky heat, and my sight obscured by pre-Edison darkness, I thought, “Where’s the glory in my conservation adventure?”
See, my vision for this trip had only included arrival on a tropical island and diving in clear waters for a few weeks, to help with marine mammal monitoring and gathering research data. My plan was to witness the beauty of nature and have a hand in preserving it. I was not prepared for mosquitoes the size of my fist, a garbage mountain photobombing my perfect beach sunset, and 9 hours of claustrophobic sailing on the “slave ship.” In that moment, I crawled out of my assigned matrix and fumbled my way to some cool refreshing air by the port side. My eyes were suddenly enthralled with the phosphorescent sea. I never expected this, and my innards were gripped with joy. I knew then, I did not have to worry. My journey was as epic as I made it to be: hiking for 8 hours up and down a volcano, watching the Frangipanis whirl from a temple by the cliff, and having a staring contest with a school barracuda in mid-dive. The haunting taste of my first ripe passion fruit, and chasing down Ketut Liyer to gain some insight as a hopeful student of life. Even with the unexpected downsides to my travel expectations, I fell in love with learning on the road. The best journey can start in the most unexpected ways.