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Published: April 28th 2009
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Hello everybody!!
OK... one very last blog and then you'll have to find something else to do with your lives other than read my blogs... hehe just joking, I think it's lovely that so many of you have been interested in following my travels and reading through my lengthy blogs all this time! :o)
Ive been home nearly a week now and Im still not sure that it has actually sunk in that I'm home for good! It's so lovely to be home and feels like I've never been away, everything and everyone has pretty much stayed exactly the same and I dont really feel that different either, although i do know i have changed quite a lot! I think maybe I haven't quite realised that travelling is over, I think at the moment the novelty of being back home hasn't quite worn off and maybe feels like I'm just taking a short holiday from travelling, and haven't quite accepted that the real life will be starting soon.... no more travelling, finding a job, generally growing up etc.! :o) I'm sure once I have started a job, am a working girl and the novelty of being home/ being back
in England wears off then I will want to be travelling again! :o)
It was an emotional reunion at the airport, my whole family was there - mum, dad, zoe and jenna with balloons, flowers etc. (it was almost embarrassing hehe!!), it was really lovely and my mum did, ofcourse, start crying, but then again so did I! :o) Ever since I got home I have been very busy preparing Jenna for her German Oral exam which is today, and have hardly seen Zoe at all as she has been super stressed at uni with her dissertation which she is handing in today, so it will be quite nice when everything goes back to normal and isn't so manic! :o)
I really did have the best time ever travelling.... there were so many ups and downs like there always are when you are travelling especially when you are travelling alone I think the highs are higher and the lows are lower! Although the times when I was travelling on my own and hadnt met anyone for a while were really hard, it did make me appreciate the times where I had found amazing friends and was having a
great time! It did teach me to be more appreciative for the good times! :o)
I find it really hard when people as my what was my favourite bit or my favourite country because Ive seen so much and everything was great but in a completely different way. For example, one highlight would be working with the orangutans - I loved it because I loved them and they were so much fun but at the same time it wasn't my happiest of weeks because I spent most of that time alone, even my birthday, and hated the hostel i was staying in! The people really did make the place while travelling... if I had to pinpoint a "best" time it would probably be the 3 weeks on the Stray bus in New Zealand because of the friends I made on the bus and then stayed with for the entire time! I dont think i have ever been so happy, care-free and laughed so much in my whole life, it was just so much fun! And it was also a bit like a holiday from travelling as I didnt need to plan anything, book any accomodation, decide where to go,
do any research of anything, it was more like a school trip which was really relaxing! And obviously all the activities we did just added to the fun and excitement! :o)
Yet again, I feel that I got more out of South America, I saw and did so much, learnt to be completely independent and travel on my own for weeks at a time (luckily that changed once I got to Colombia though!)! I learnt Spanish which I really enjoyed and I met lots of amazing friends! South America was also a huge culture shock which I really liked, I felt like I changed a lot in South America and grew up (a bit!)! :o) Australia was really fun, it was fun driving up the East Coast which was a completely different experience to travelling around on buses, or the organised bus trip in NZ, and we did lots of surfing, snorkelling etc. which was really fun... but... it wasn't in any way a culture shock and I didn't really change or learn much, but still it was really nice, although waaaay to expensive!! South Asia was really cheap, as much of a culture shock as South America, and
I did lots of fun things like the orangutans, swimming with elephants, the temples were amazing, but apart from the 3 weeks I spent with Michi, which was lovely, I didn't really meet many people so spent quite a bit of time on my own!
I know I have changed a lot while travelling, some bits are harder to explain but one big thing that I have noticed is just that I'm interested in a lot more now, i'm more interested in history, current affairs, different countries and now want to travel a lot more.... no more beach holidays and lots more backpacking holidays... maybe Central America so I can practice my Spanish, or Africa etc.! :o) I now really want to learn to speak more languages especially improving my Spanish and French, I want to learn to cook properly, play the guitar etc. etc.! I feel a lot more confident after having had to make myself go up to people and start talking to them in order to make friends etc. and generally using my own initiative for over 10 months so hopefully all of those changes are here to stay and will help in other aspects of
my life like finding a job!! :o)
Anyway, I'm going for lunch with my mummy now and am then off to London for a week to try and catch up with as many people as possible, so I'm going to have to love you and leave you!!
Lots of love and hugs one last time and take care!! Those of you who I haven't seen yet... I can't wait to see you including all of you in Munich - hopefully see you in a few weeks! :o) xxxxxxx
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