The summer of 2015 has been an interesting one, to say the least, and it's not even over yet. I received the opportunity to travel to 3 countries, 6 cities, more than 10 hotels/hostels/homestays, and by the end of this, I'll have flown on 14 planes. I have three more weeks on this adventure, and I have to say, I've learned so much about myself and the world this summer. I've seen countless temples in Asia, been scammed by a bird lady in Bangkok (that's a story for another time), watched the sunrise over Angkor Wat in Cambodia, spent a weekend on safari in Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania, not to mention I've eaten crickets, bamboo worms, ant larvae, goat meat, and chips mayai (an omelet with french fries in it). However, not everything has been so happy-go-lucky, and I've definitely encountered situations and emotions that I never thought I would stumble upon. I've realized how different traveling around a country and actually immersing yourself in a culture can be, and I've been able to reflect on past experiences as well as create hopes for future travels to come. Going from the U.S. to Asia to Africa has been quite the leap, and there are five very important things I've learned along the way.
1. It's ok to feel homesick, even if you have never been, never thought you would be, and no one would perceive you as someone who'd be overcome by such a thing. (Oh the horror!)
It was my second week in Tanzania. I'd already been out of the United States for six weeks (nearly twice as long as my one and only prior international experience in South Africa). I had always loved to travel and after my experience in Africa last summer, I was beyond excited to return, but even more excited to be able to experience a new country and culture. I was staying with a host family, studying Swahili five days a week, and I was just settling into a routine. Then homesickness hit me like a brick wall. I talked to my parents, boyfriend, and friends every day, and was increasingly upset. I didn't understand what was wrong with me, as I had never truly felt homesick before. I had also never felt homesickness in a position of almost being stuck . . . as it's not easy or cheap to just hop on a plane home at the first feeling of discomfort.
I had to recognize what was making me homesick and if there were things that I could do to not necessarily get rid of it, but something to calm the storm. I also had to accept that it's ok to feel homesick, and I had every reason to feel that way. I'd been away from my family and country for six weeks and I had six more weeks to go. The food was different, the culture was new, and I'd been surrounded by people 24/7 with no time to reflect.
I found a few things to help me through. As a foodie, I searched good restaurants around Arusha. I went to the nearest bookstore and bought myself the third Game of Thrones book to read, reached out to my friends and family for support, and also found the support of a friend in my program. Many of these things were simple fixes, but the hard part was understanding and accepting that I was allowed to have bad days where I just wanted to hop on a plane. That's normal, and the best feeling is that I stuck it out, stayed within the guidelines of my fellowship, and made some great memories.
2. It's ok to identify if certain people, experiences, or places make you feel unsafe. And then work on how to avoid those situations.
I had never felt unsafe while traveling, until this trip. I had been scammed countless times for being white and western. I had been hit on for the same reasons, on top of the fact that I'm blonde and I'm a young woman. I had gotten lost and asked for directions at night. I had ridden a local bus (called a dala dala) jammed with people to the point of it being a safety risk and I had ridden countless tuk tuks, which are also not the safest little vehicles. However these experiences have taught me to be aware and to trust my gut in any and all situations. I have also learned how to avoid situations like that. If I have even a hint of uneasiness about doing something, like riding a motorbike in Cambodia or a bodaboda/pikipiki in Tanzania (something I chose not to do on this trip), that's my prerogative. If I miss out on an opportunity, at least that is my decision and I am better safe than sorry.
3. It's ok not to fall in love with every place you travel to, even if you thought you would.
This was difficult to come to terms with, as I'd like to think I'm a lover of all things global. And in some respects, I am, but I'm also a human being. I pick favorites and have certain preferences while I travel. I've realized that this can also be applied to countries, and because of that, I'm not going to feel the same about every country I visit. I will continue to fall in love with certain countries, while others will grow on me . . . and some just won't. The best I can do is to give every country I visit a chance, and even if I don't plan to go back, I can at least identify my reasonings for why.
Which leads me to the next one . . .
4. It's ok if a country doesn't meet the prior expectations you had because every experience is a learning one.
I will openly admit that I didn't give all three countries this summer an equal chance. I certainly had higher expectations for one over the other and because of that, I was both surprised and disappointed throughout my trip. Having the expectations that you will love a country can highly affect your experience and how you perceive your experiences. The same can be said for the opposite. I cannot stress that enough, and I now realize that I will approach all future trips with a distinct level of knowledge and expectations, and leave the rest up to the actual experience I have.
5. Lastly, it's ok if an experience you have changes your life goals, hopes, dreams, and whatever else can be changed. That's what experiences are for.
I've always been the kind of person that plans their entire life out. At any time, I can explain my 5-year plan, my 10-year plan, and my life goals, but this one trip has changed a good bit of those prior plans. In 12 weeks, my life plans have been significantly altered and that's been both exhilarating and extremely stressful, but I've realized that I'm never going to be able to fully plan and predict everything that could and will happen in my future. As a control freak (I'm working on that part of myself), that is practically incomprehensible. There will be surprises, unexpected delays, and my passions will continue to shift, develop, and solidify as time goes on. Until then, I need to spend my time focusing on the near future and the things I can actual plan for like applying to grad schools and other possible opportunities.
And above all, I need to take what I've learned on this trip and apply it to my future experiences, as I believe this kind of reflection will truly help me grow as a person, a student, a daughter, a girlfriend, an RA, and any other role I may fill throughout this crazy thing called life.
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