Something fundamentally changes during the course of writing a travel blog, documenting one's temporary life abroad, when one chooses to stay in one of those travel destinations for...well...a not-so-temporary amount of time.
Suddenly the things that seemed strange, novel, and worth writing home about, are quirks I've grown to accept about the country I now call home. As if overnight, the things I found hilarious because they were only part time are now quite serious (don't worry, I haven't turned to a life of loving politics, I'm just more aware of "the situations" now), as they pertain to what could be the rest of my life. People are more valued; opportunities taken literally and thoughtfully; concessions are being made to replace the things I thought I couldn't live without with things that make my life better.
To quote my friend Jamie, who is joining me for Christmas and the subsequent two weeks, as she did two years ago,
"It's weird I also feel so much older, rather so much growth, since our last trip, in life..."
I have to agree with her: not only has there been a shift in her, but in me as well. There is more to think about now...more to consider. Isn't it odd that it took having what I thought was a great life, getting rid of that life, arguably running away from that life, and starting a new, fulfilling life, one that I'm fully responsible for, one that I'm completely proud of, in order to feel like I'm really living? Maybe not so odd, but certainly incredibly rewarding.
So maybe the theme of the blog has to change. Maybe it's run its course and I need to be done with it. After all, no one wants to live vicariously through someone who's just living her life, do they? Maybe living life here is pretty amazing though...maybe it's worth talking about.
No comments:
Post a Comment