Making Peace with Unfamiliarity
BAM. The time is finally here and speedily unfolding. I’ve only been in Paris for a day now, but man has it felt like a week. From learning the metro and seeing the Eiffel Tower for the first time, to eating toasted baguettes with cream cheese for dinner and escaping the city to view it from afar, this trip has opened my eyes to another way of living.
I’m going to back track here for a second to touch on the entire journey. First off, traveling can be hard. I feel that most times we glorify a trip to another country so much that we forget to prepare ourselves for the work and patience needed before, during, and after the moment we embark. The work starts when you realize how much money you have to save. It continues as you call all of your banks to notify them of your travels. More work begins when you realize you need to apply for a travel card. More work is being put in as you pick up extra shifts after realizing that while you're gone, you'll still need to pay full price for your cell phone bill if you cannot freeze your account! What!? And don’t forget about your monthly car payment, insurance, and possibly rent while your getting ready to peace out for a while. Oh and don’t even get me started with goodbyes. For me, it was hard because I don’t know my return date. I started with “goodbye for now,” to, “I’ll see you soon,” to, “I’ll see you when I see you.” It eased the sadness by being honest with myself and the other party and just saying, "I’ll see you when I see you." I found it key to remember that all of these friendships will pick up where they left off. (It helps the tears from flooding all your last conversations.) I don’t mean to bore you with all of this stuff, but to me, these are the truths of traveling. Traveling takes a lot of work – emotionally, physically, and mentally - but reminding yourself of the outcome is what'll keep you going time and time again. Always remember the outcome.
Upon arrival, I spent a long hard hour saying goodbye to someone that I’ve loved for a very long time. Growing up, we all have these things we want to do someday. For me, traveling parts of the world by myself was always number one. I knew that any attachments I had to America would have to be put on hold for some time. I’ve known that I’ve wanted to work in other countries, learn different cultures, meet people alike, grow fuller into my skin, find confidence in doing things completely on my own, expel certain fear residing in me, and truly learn to fend for myself in unfamiliar situations. I am a strong believer of growth in unfamiliarity, and growth is the mission of this journey. I think that before I can commit to anything long-term, I need to further develop into myself, mentally and emotionally. I need to know more of what I stand for and believe in. I need to develop more emotional and mental strength. I want to learn the ways of life lived by travelers from around the world. Acquiring these needs and desires comes with taking time away from normality and the reality I was living in California. My goal through all of this is to inspire others to want the same for themselves—a better understanding of what they stand for and believe in, and, through self-exploration, a greater sense and of personal growth and fulfillment.
It’s only been two days since I left America but I can confidently say I am satisfied with how much I’ve learned about myself thus far. Last year during my travel to Italy I got overwhelmed with frustration in the lack of knowledge I had about navigating my way through another country. This time around, I prepared myself to exercise extreme patience when I began to stress out. Employing perseverance with that patience really got shit done. I introduced myself to the woman next to me on the plane, we became friends, which then led to her offering me her cell phone to reach my soon-to-be temporary roommate, Lulu. On top of that she so selflessly walked me to the metro and explained the route I needed to take to reach my destination. All of this was possible because I mentally prepared myself for the work it’d take the minute my plane landed in France.
Sometimes we all need a little reassurance in the decisions we make, and I am thankful that the past 48 hours have been just that. And this is your reassurance that you can do anything you set your mind to! When your feeling stuck, don’t be afraid to move around a bit. And if you’re timid, take baby steps. Explore locally then slowly branch out.
See you when I see you,
Hailey
