Journey of the lone soul

Standing on the corner alone, smoking a cigarette, I often wondered how I got there in the first place. There was a table on the edge of the meal area where almost eight women were chatting away about their accomplishments. They were all well-traveled, cosmopolitan women who were doing phenomenally well in their lives while working for the oppressed in the world. I'm always a little hesitant towards human beings and more intrigued by nature, so while I was still contemplating joining "the gang", a cat jumped and sat on my lap. Welcome to this retreat that's set with the backdrop of mountains and the magnificent Lake Orta, where the residents included a peacock (RIP Eddie Junior) and two cats- Noble and Bianca in Pettenasco, Italy.

The cat decided that my lap was not comfortable enough so she left me just as many others in my life (I may have abandonment issues) and I decided to move on to the place where Michael, the bartender, everyone's friend was strumming on his guitar. I looked around and could not believe that my first international trip out of India was straight to this beautiful place in Italy which would have taken me probably a decade to save and even then I probably would have missed it, since the internet after all does not have the experience, it only has the information about someone else's experience. I was quite lucky to have been chosen for the Info-activism by Tactical Tech where they not only invited me but also gave me complete financial aid. So while I sat there, with music in my ears, drizzle on my face and my head completely intoxicated by the aroma of the air that seeped deep down my hair, I was immediately ready to go join "the gangs" everywhere. While I spoke to the people at the camp, I realized that people all over the world are dealing with same problems everywhere and they all want their stories to be heard. I happen to be lucky to know the people on both sides.

That experience has completely changed my life where I realized that one can travel miles from their homes to the other side of the world but there are so many more homes like yours which have their loved ones travelling to tell their stories just like me.