I’m traveling again!
For those of you who don’t know, I’m no stranger to traveling. I globe trotted during my gap year after high school and volunteered/worked before college.
It was my first time going solo, my first time getting helplessly lost, my first time teaching, and my first time feeling truly independent and empowered.
I met people from all over the world passing through hostels and cities I lived in. Traveling alone encouraged me to introduce myself to new people and spark conversations with tourists, locals, and strangers. It was hard to do since I was a strong introvert back then, but I had nothing to lose so I gave it my best shot. I fumbled for words in a language I was just beginning to grasp and accidentally said yes to a marriage proposal in the process. Oops.
The language barrier made it incredibly difficult to navigate new cities. I got helplessly lost when I accidentally took the wrong bus in Kathmandu and ended up outside the city limits. Imagine being me: 18 years old in a micro bus that took an unexpected turn and unable to ask where it was going or for it to stop. At that moment, I knew three things, 1) I was going in the wrong direction, 2) it was getting darker and darker outside, and 3) I was scared of getting lost. But it’s one of my fondest memories and I can’t help but smirk whenever I think about it. Here’s why – a new feeling of independence overcame me when I found my way back home. I navigated unknown streets by moonlight and eventually found the bus that would get me there. After that, I wasn’t scared of getting lost.
While I sat through college lectures, I noticed that my mind often wandered back to memories, like the one above, I made over my gap year and wondered if I’d be able to experience that again. I loved learning about new cultures, meeting different people, and being challenged in new ways. After all, it’s in times of greatest discomfort or challenge that we grow the most.
Do you ever get so excited your chest tightens? Or your fingertips tingle?
I feel that way about my upcoming trip to Rwanda. My fingertips tingle. When I think about it, I felt like that over my gap year, but rarely before or after. Life is really short. That registered more fully when I held my diploma for the first time and realized that I was at my own graduation. College had flown by. I have the rest of my life to work and develop a career. I’m taking these next few years for me. Knowing that I’m going to be in Rwanda excites me beyond words – the unpredictability of what’s to come is exhilarating.
Find something that makes your fingertips tingle. This makes mine.
Onward!
Joanna
Rwandering around with Joanna 