A Paradigm Shift

I wasn’t going to write in, because the criteria of a "travel focused essay based on personal experience" seemed daunting for a person like me who had limited travel experiences I’d call my own. Then, I decided I had nothing to lose by trying.

Let me explain. While I have been fortunate to be transported to a number of countries by my parents (most times with them), these have mostly been sheltered and fully sponsored escapades. Coming from an extremely conservative Asian family, my parents constantly chime “Don’t do this. It’s too risky. Going against the grain will get you into trouble.” Mostly, these comments formed the basis for objections to certain job applications or decisions to travel solo. So, feeling the need to be filial and obedient, I listened and curbed this inexplicable want for solo travel. After being bombarded by these comments for most of my pre-adult life, I found myself afraid to try new things. I looked at job descriptions and didn’t even bother applying because I thought I wasn’t good enough. I started thinking of travelling to new places as scary, rampant with crooks and thieves and bad guys.

In July last year, the deprivation of solo travel to satisfy my parents’ wants started taking a toll on the confidence I had in my own abilities. Overnight, I decided I was going to Hanoi (Vietnam) in January 2014 after my internship ended. I took on several part-time jobs and saved most of my internship pay. Then, without my parents’ knowledge, I booked my first solo trip when ticket prices fell, mustered the courage to tell my parents the news over breakfast a week before the trip, and proceeded to have my best travel experience ever – solo. Hanoi gave me an experience drastically different from what my parents had depicted, and left me wanting more. Distinct horns as you entered the Old Quarter, organized chaos at its finest, sipping coffee on a roadside stool while a man restarted his motorbike engine 18 times before it worked again. Ever since then, I had a paradigm shift.

Here I am, a week-old graduate at the crossroads of my life. I don't know really know where I'll be in the next five years. All I know is that I hunger for more uninhibited travel experiences where I fall in love with people and places different from what I am accustomed to repeatedly. I long to travel and soak in various cultures in all their glory, while my mind expounds on these experiences and my heart is remains open. And I see opportunity, so I'll take it.