For three months of my life I carried on my back everything
I owned, in those three months I had a total of 10 different outfits and out of
those 10 used probably 6. I learned what it means to pack light and picking
exactly what I truly needed. This trip changed my life in a subtle but big way,
I have learned a lot of things about my life and what I valued. Here are some of the lessons I learned:
- Lesson #1: There are two types of people in this world: the people who are eager and interested in your stories and travels and the people who resent you for your experiences. Ever since I have come home I have noticed this trend in the people I’ve talked to. Most people are always excited and asking about the trip and what was our favourite part and what we did etc. Then there are the people who ignore the topic completely and mostly ignore me. This is unsurprising really, these are the people in my home town who also have showed no interest or were resentful when topics of living elsewhere for school would come up as well. I am not saying that I sit there and demand the attention for going on a trip like this one but to come home and realize that people are still very much stuck in a high school mentality makes me dream of the hostels and engaging with strangers who are more interested in my story than the people I grew up around.
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- Lesson #2: Life is not about material items. When everything to your name is in a backpack and you have no computer to kill time, no TV to watch Four Weddings or anything great on TLC, no knick knacks to fill your space. We had a small selection of clothing options, little options for entertainment and we certainly did not have a lot of material items. With one month left in our trip I was asked for my Christmas list and I was drawing a complete blank. What did I need/want for Christmas? What was it like to have things like an endless supply of books, DVDs, or Wi-Fi? It was in that moment that I realized that I had moved away from needing senseless things for Christmas and really focused my list on things I really needed.
- Lesson #3: Never take for granted that you have your own
space, own bed, own couch, own shower etc. There is nothing more nerve racking
than sleeping on a bed where you have no idea on who was in the bed before
you, whether or not it had been sterilized properly. Then there were the
bathrooms and shared showers where in some cases were coed ones. You
develop a thick skin on what you think is sanitary and you learn to ignore some
of the dirty things. Since I have been home I have found sanctuary in my queen
size bed, own bathroom and my endless supply of clothing. You think that the
very basics of life wouldn't be such a relief but they are and never take for
granted what it means to be comfortable in your own space.
- Lesson #5: Never take for granted any friends or family. When you are only with one person for 96 days straight and only have that one person you tend to go a little crazy. There were very few moments where we were able to make friends due to the fact that we were already in an established social circle and no one was willing to make friends with the couple. The fact too that we are not big drinkers really dampened any chance of making friends because a lot of people who are in these hostels are usually there to drink and socialize. That being said never take for granted the people who you surround yourself with. Never ignore a friend or brush of family because as good as alone time feels too much and it gets a little depressing. You have complete control over who you allow in your life and I learned that you need allow and welcome as many kind, happy and healthy people you know.
- Lesson #6: The reality of life is that you are a small speck in the grand scheme of life. We have visited the biggest cities in Europe and we stood in the middle of Times Square as hundreds of people walked around us. There is nothing like seeing all these people and places to know how small you truly are and put life in to perspective. Although you are one in billions I have realized that you need to make as much as you can out of the one life you are given.
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I find that since I have come home I have had the strong
desire to learn more about the places I’ve been and learn more about what else
is out there. I have already looked into what it means to go elsewhere in the
world and how much it would cost. Most of all though the biggest change this
trip has made in me is that it has made me revaluate what I want out of life
and what it is I want to do with my life. I always saw myself coming home and now
I don’t know if it is the place for me anymore. We will see where the next few months take me but one thing is for certain this eskimo is not nearly done seeing the world, up next: New Zealand. 