The leap of faith

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For the months leading up to my departure I was often surprised at people’s reaction to my plans. The idea of setting off with an itinerary consisting of a rough brainstorm at best, alone around the world seemed to terrify most. Having had the opportunity to explore a vast portion of the globe with family as a child however, I put their reaction down to a lack of understanding and naivety. As I sit in seat 28A on my way to Denpasar however, I feel it may have been me that didn’t entirely understand the sheer magnitude of such a journey.

I love to travel. And I should, as it’s a passion passed down through my family as if a genetic trait. My mother often toyed with the idea of becoming a travel agent, only held back but the inferior pay to midwifery. Her and my father then, were in total support of my escapade. I could not tell you when the grand plan was formed, but I can just always remember it being what I wanted to do after school. I enjoy all aspects of travel, the different people, the cultures, the food, everything. But during the final days in my home town of Warrnambool I started to realise why this is not for everyone.

I’ll admit, I was one of those kids that got almost anything they wanted on a platter. My mum does just about everything for me which left me an 18 year old with a major lack of domestic and organisational skills. For this reason alone, to live independently anywhere would have been a challenge. Along with this is the incredible closeness I have with mum, my dad and my sister. I have been everywhere with them and to wave goodbye to them at the departure gate for a year was extremely hard. They weren’t the only people I shared a teary goodbye with either. Leaving my girlfriend of 9 months was equally as tough. She stayed only because being a year younger had the biggest year of school ahead of her. Then there are my friends, work colleagues and so on. All of which there’s a slight possibility I’d never see again. As a result of my acquaintance with so many wonderful people I felt before leaving that everything was just falling into place and I was truly content with my life.

So why go? That’s the question that lingers at the back of my mind. My answer as of now is this. While the past few days of goodbyes have been hellish I left because first and foremost I need to do this. I have always thrived to push myself in all aspects of life. So while I admit I’m scared of the difficulty this trip may behold, it’s for that difficulty that I am drawn here. It takes courage to take this first leap into the unknown and I will prove to myself I can do exactly that. When my time abroad is done and I do return, I will do so truly ready for adult life I believe.

My first stop is like an old friend to me. It will be my third time in Bali and the purpose of my fortnights stay there is to settle myself and to practice the skills needed overseas in a somewhat familiar environment. In the coming days I’ll book flights, busses, manage credit cards and finances and budget, budget, budget! Oh and of course I’ll squeeze in a swim here and there.

Jesse,

Leaping..

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