On April 3rd 2013, I left Australia, ready to see the world, meet new people, experience different cultures and learn things about myself. Luckily, I didn’t have too many expectations and decided to just take it as it comes and make plans along the way. I want to finish up this blog by summarising the things I have learnt along the way and my overall reflection on this journey, but I have been sitting at the computer for a good few hours now and don’t think any any words I write here could ever do justice to my incredible once in a lifetime travel experience. I imagine that I will continue to reflect on the past 9 months for a long time. But, for now, here are a few significant life lessons and achievements from this unique journey:
- gratitude - this is a big one - I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to do what I just did…
- stunning locations around the world… in keeping with the feeling of gratitude, on a number of occasions I caught myself feeling overwhelmingly grateful for a magnificent view (especially, the Andes mountains at Machu Picchu and sections of Salkantay Trek in Peru, the Zakopane Mountain region in Poland, Lake Bled in Slovenia, and the valleys of Cappadocia in Turkey)
- I like hiking, nature and mountains - I definitely always got a real kick out of trekking through stunning scenery and sitting at a higher altitude overlooking the natural beauty of the world - highlight moments for me were always outdoors and marvelling at a landscape (as opposed to historic monuments, impressive architecture, or stunning interior design)
- new appreciation for home - family, friends and Australia as a country
- broader view of the world - different cultures, religions, languages, and approaches to life - being exposed to these variations across the globe have helped me to recognise what my values are, what is important in order to be happy and live prosperously
- increase in confidence, willingness to give something a go and face my fears of the unknown, bit more adventurous, expansion of comfort zone or ability to step outside of it, and generally feel like I have come out of my shell a little bit more - slightly more comfortable with who I am and what I have to offer the world
- expectations - don’t make them too high (and even eliminate them where possible) because you never know what might happen, and I was sometimes severely let down or distressed when things didn’t turn out the way I thought they would. Alternatively, I was often pleasantly surprised when my expectations were low!… I don’t like LA —> I want to move there; I don’t like Phi Phi Island —> had an amazing time; I can’t improvise contemporary dance —> actually it’s not that scary and I really enjoy it!
- make the most of a crappy situation, I started to realise that c’est la vie, that’s the way it is, so make it as good as possible or change it if it is really not working. I also started to sweat the small stuff less!!
- recognition of things I still need to work on eg. fear of not making the ‘best’ decision (because there is no best decision, Kish!!!!), I definitely have a binge eating problem
- I jogged in almost every single city I went to, including phnom penh - where the roads were chaotic and poorly tailored with pot holes and piles of rubbish dotted along them, Sfax in Tunisia - where people looked at me as if I was from outter space and traffic was busy, Cusco in Peru - where the hills were very steep and I found it hard to breathe at a higher altitude, and Konya in Turkey where I had to cover my shoulders and legs fully so as not to bring too much attention to myself in the Muslim housing complex I was staying in.
- postcard sent to Mum and Dad from every single* place I visited (this proved difficult on the Topdeck tour when we were only in some countries for a day or two so it was a mad hurry to find a postcard, buy a stamp and find a post box to mail it from that country! *one exception - Bolivia’s postcard was mailed from Tunisia because unfortunately I was violently ill at the airport the day I left Bolivia.
- … another lesson stemming from the postcard tradition above is that I have a perfectionist personality at times - I still feel very disgruntled and agitated by this anomaly in my postcard sending tradition, and that also relates to my needing to make the ‘right’ decision all the time - an unattainable goal.
- the world is big and there is so much to see and do, but it is also small and you can achieve anything if you set your mind to it. Life is short, there is so much to experience, there is no point wasting time doing things you don’t enjoy. Yes, you need money to achieve most things, therefore you have to work (which can be not so enjoyable at times) but then again, some people love their jobs, so try to make money doing something you enjoy, and if you spend money wisely, then you should have some left to do what makes you happy and live a more fulfilling life.
Travelling was certainly not all fun-filled, carefree and amazing - I had extreme highs and lows, with some particularly dark times at the start and mid way through. I learned that I actually really like routine and structure, and goals are important -something to work towards or look forward to. I thought I liked travelling alone, and whilst I still need and love my alone time, generally I prefer to have company to share the journey with. I need to exercise regularly, otherwise I start feeling depressed and my binge eating tendencies are stronger.
Some things haven’t changed - I am still a terrible decision maker, am completely ignorant to my gut feelings and pro-con everything to the Nth degree. But I think that I’m now equipped with new skills to handle situations more effectively and perhaps help to steer me in the right direction when I feel lost. It’s ironic, but right now, I would say my biggest achievement that I am most proud of myself for, was making a big decision… the decision to go travelling this year - I think it was the best one I could have made. This one decision has enlightened me, inspired me, strengthened my character, opened my eyes, made me grateful for everything I have been blessed with, and motivated me to strive for greater fulfilment in life.
