Heading Home

I am almost home but I think I should say about the other side of travelling. The thing about travelling is online people only post pictures of the laughs, smiles, beautiful sceneries, new groups of ‘friends’, but what you don’t see through social media is the hard times. It is not all sun and beach; it does challenge you. There have been tears, there has been lonely times, times when you don’t feel like you fully fit in, but you do overcome it one way or another and I know I am not the only one who has had their struggles whilst away. Being away for a long period is not the same as a holiday, you must budget every day, knowing almost to the penny what you want to spend and what is important to you. It gives you responsibility but when something goes wrong, like you lose your bank card or fall ill, you are alone, and I know that you meet people, but at the end of the day, they are still virtually strangers and they do not compare to those at home. Everyone here, however, is in the same boat and once you speak out, you do receive a lot more help than you expect and you do come together to try and fight through the tough times to live for the good, but it is not

the same as being supported by those that know all your weaknesses and strengths. I know right now I am making travelling sound dreadful, but it really isn’t. Yes, it is scary, challenging, lonely but you grow, you only have yourself to rely on for a lot of the time, so you need to learn to love yourself and be your own best friend which is something being stuck in reality cannot always give you. You make mistakes, but you learn. The different people you do meet make it worth it, they build you up; some you may never talk to again whilst others, you will talk to regularly. Travelling makes you humble, it makes you appreciate everything that you have; it makes you appreciate the rain when you are staying somewhere that has a drought, makes you appreciate the luxury of cooler nights to sleep through, it makes you appreciate not having to wear bug spray every time you go out, it makes you appreciate all the clothes you have, all the food you have, the opportunities that you can have including basics like education and healthcare. Seeing people, especially like the children in South Africa and how happy they were to see us, makes you realise that even a simple thing such as taking just an hour out of your week to spend time with the less fortunate, can change their view on life, it can give them hope. I was ambitious trying to do seven months across very different cultures by myself without returning home, but it does not change the fact I am glad I have done it.

That feeling of freedom, accomplishment, happiness as I jumped out of a plane. The feeling of flowing along by the beach, feeling the wind in your hair as a majestic animal carries you with all her power and speed. That feeling when you submerge your head into a whole new world, one which we don’t belong in, one where the creatures can breathe without the air, where the colours are vibrant and magical.
The feeling where you climb to the highest point of where you are and overlook the city beneath you, knowing that down there, is chaos, lives passing by but up here, with the clouds around you, there is nothing but peace and you can’t help but embrace and live in the moment. That moment when you come face to face with a lion and can hear its growl come from the depths of his chest as he considers you his next meal.

The thought of the discipline and challenges I faced to be able to go on this trip and the fact that I succeeded in making something happen when I put my mind to it. I am more capable and stronger than what I give myself credit for and that is what I am taking away from this. It doesn’t matter that my trip has been cut short as I have lived a thousand experiences just in these past eight weeks and what I have experienced, is something I will always take forward with me; it is something I will always remember, and I am sure that many of the skills I have gained will assist me in my future life. However, the best part about this world is it is not going anywhere and when I can, there is nothing stopping me from going to finish off and visit the remaining places I had wanted to see, but this time maybe take someone to share the experiences with. The good things outweigh the bad and when you do have a bad part, it just makes you stride harder because in the depths of your heart, you know you have got this far and so can go a bit further. After all, they do say it is not about the destination but the journey that you

have taken to get there, but sometimes, no matter how old I get, my destination will always be in the arms of my family.