10 Lessons from 5 Countries (Part 1)
Like the responsible young adult I am, I took all of last year off to go interning, studying and adventuring abroad. After a year that had a lot in common with a category five hurricane, I’m left sitting on the other side, winded and starting to finally make sense of the whole process.
I went to five countries over eight months, stopping briefly by Qatar on my way to Australia, where I stayed for a month in Perth and Canberra, briefly saw Syndey then flew north to Taiwan for the Chinese New Year.
After the Chinese New Year I hopped another plane and headed to Beijing, where I spent a semester studying at Peking University. The next thing I knew I was loading my stuff onto the high speed rail to make the journey south to Guangzhou, in the south of China.
During the year I traveled widely in China, seeing inner Mongolia, the famous karst mountains of the south, the yellow mountain, Shanghai and Nanjing. I even took a spur of the moment weekend trip to Kuala Lumpur.
Looking back, I moved everything I own a total of 14 times in the past year. I said hello and goodbye to countless friends, old and new. There were some good times, a lot of good times really, and then there were the times when I thought I was going to die. For better or for worse I’m back stateside (for now).
Here are some things I learned during my experiment in nomadry.
1. Go on Adventures
Whether it be an international journey or stargazing from a local cornfield, or climbing up to a roof, the soul thrives on adventure. New experiences are for the soul what new books are for the brain: nourishing, interesting and completely essential. Go on a picnic. In a tree. Go for a walk, or a run. Learn something new, or remember something old.
2. Be Brave
Following the advice of a Russian named Serge, I once took shots of snake blood at a rooftop bar at 10 a.m. Not because I particularly wanted to, but because it was the kind of experience you don’t let pass you by.
When I heard about a hike in Kuala Lumpur that was famously dangerous, I immediately decided to try it.
Because travel is about being outside of your comfort zone. It’s about pushing boundaries and being more than you thought you could be. It’s about going further, and coming back with the scars and stories to prove it. Not in a way that is destructive, but in a way that is formative. And crazy. And scary. And all the more beautiful for it.
3. Everything Works Out
Being a bit of a Type A personality, it’s always been hard for me to just relax and trust that things will work out. But after being lost in the Malaysian jungle at night without flashlights, a cell phone or any knowledge of Malay, I’ve begun to appreciate that even when things seem bleak (and even when they seem really really bleak), odds are if you just keep going, you’ll get through it.
For the record, it was totally worth it.
4. You’ll remember the people as much as the places
I traveled a lot in the last year, and everywhere I went I met amazing people. My life, and the experiences I’ve had wouldn’t be half of what they are if it wasn’t for the people that were there with me. From cliff jumping with my Australian friends (or being proposed to at the local Maccas) to hiking for seven hours through pouring rain in China or laughing about funpants in Malaysia… my favorite memories always involve the people I shared them with.
5. But the places will take your breath away
Everywhere I went I would swear is the most beautiful place I have ever been. I would find myself gaping a things that the local people just walked by- a sunset or a mountain skyline. It made me start to wonder what I was missing back home.
This year was crazy challenging, formative and perfect in its complete surrender to chaos. I’ll have the other half of this post up next week, with more photos and reflections on my time abroad. Hopefully it can be a little bit of inspiration to those who are dabbling in travel.