A month after

Do you know what I’ve done before starting to write this article? I started scrolling through 9 months of pictures. That’s because I felt the need to refresh my visual memories. I might be aging and forgetful … or I’m living in a world where technology has made us dependent on our cameras and it completely numbed our ability to record memories with our eyes. 

But here is an interesting fact: while I might be struggling to visually remember certain places where I’ve been … the feelings from those places are vivid. I’m like that 3yo who might not remember the actual places, but his life will, for sure, be shaped by the experiences he lived.  

What else happened to me in the last month, besides scrolling, you might ask? 

I have slowly dived in and enjoyed a “comfort zone”. This means no planning ahead, not staying alert all the time and, most importantly, no “burnout” feeling. Travelling, as beautiful and rewarding as it is, can drive you in such a state. And this happens because you lose track of the days of the week. Having all your time filled with visiting places and after a lifetime of “5 days work – 2 days rest” … you will, for sure, take your body by surprise with this rhythm.

On the other hand, one month into being home and I look around me with other eyes. I can’t pinpoint where, in my adventure, the change started, but I feel it:

• I am calmer; I look around at people quarreling and I ask myself: “Why do you spend your energy on this petty issue?”
• It’s amazing how little we need to be happy and I see this a lot more striking now, when I have proper terms of comparison
• I enjoy the connection I found with my parents (because before I was just another kid who didn’t listen to them)
• I am confident and I know that, although I have to test my patience and wait a bit, I’ll get that job and come back to travelling

Will I go back to wandering this world? Of course, I have so much more to learn. These days, when I am alone, I try to remember the feelings from the countries I visited and I let myself wander through the sketches of my future destinations. 

My friends asked me why I don’t use my photos and videos to boost my Social Media presence. I believe that no photos or videos will ever do justice to how you feel when you are there … so I prefer to verbally share bits and pieces of my adventure. This way I hope that I might inspire others “to take their hearts into their teeth” (a Romanian expression signifying courage) and adventure into what they wish for.

Cheers to the surprises of the future: