Here it is. My first post in what seems like forever, but it's quite appropriate really. I mean most people do blogs while they are travelling, right? And now that I am officially on an OE I guess I'd better get cracking, right? Well at least make an attempt!
My travels are in somewhat of a hiatus at the moment however, as I am hovering, waiting for the WHITE stuff to arrive, because that's what Winter here is all about! So I will use other posts to describe some of the actual events in my life, but in this one I will divulge some thoughts around what got me here, and some general observations I've had.
This trip has been quite a long time coming - I'd been thinking about coming here for quite a number of years - and I guess the stars in my life aligned in such a way that it was time to launch. Well, now I've finally made it - I guess there is a decent volume of satisfaction in that!
For me its certainly one of those defining points in my life. To decide to quit my job (which was filling my bank account, but still leaving me feeling a tad empty in terms of some of the goals I had set myself), travel to a far away country with no guarantees of anything, and going alone to a place where I didn't know anyone (although to be honest, this had a warped attraction about it, kind of like an opportunity to to start fresh).
One of the first things people generally ask you when you tell them where you're going is if you know anyone there, followed by a blend of surprise and pity, when the answer is no!
....However... what I have found that when travelling, it is remarkably easy to meet people if you want to, just doing all the things that travellers tend to do... and sometimes you even get some friends out of the whole deal. But then you do also have to deal with the inevitable goodbye - so bittersweet. Just like real life but the whole cycle happens a lot quicker. You meet lots of people, you make some great friends in a short amount of time, but then you also have to say goodbye sooner and more regularly.
And yes sometimes things can get lonely, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. I think a lot of people neglect spending useful time with themselves in today's day and age anyway. So it can be a good thing to embrace the time alone - brainstorm, read, plan, ponder, doodle, medidate, go for a run, do some push-ups, do whatever it is you need to do. And hey if you truly do get desperate for some contact - there's always Facebook!! :P
Before long you are moving again and meeting new faces.
Oh yeah, and man when you are travelling... SO MANY GERMANS!!!
OK I've been a bit of a rambler in this post, but I wasn't sure what to write since I can't just talk about what I've seen as all the photos on Facebook tend to cover that.
We'll see how this goes... :)
-Jono
