All about me...

Europe » Hungary
July 2nd 2007

Published: May 8th 2008

I was born in Hungary , somewhere in the Eastern Block of Europe in a small town called Ajka. ( at the time my country was under the Soviet regime, which was suffocating us all) As soon as my parents had the chance, we moved to Budapest and -luckily- I have spent most of my childhood there. As soon as I got my first passport I left the country, eager to see what the "Evil " Capitalist world has to offer. ( I already knew about Swiss Watches , Belgian Chocolate and Nike and Adidas sports wear, so I really couldn't grasp the concept of the Evil nature of the forbidden West... )

It is understandable that I was curious.
I spent the following 8 years in Spain, where I find out, that I have to relearn the history of Europe, the WWII, and countries like China, Korea, Vietnam and Cuba. ( my textbooks in Hungary were censored and rewritten by our great leaders : (
In Spain at first I realized that I'm not cut for a 9-5 office job,
( at the end of the day working 9-5 in Spain is just the same as doing it in Hungary), so I let my hair loose...
I met a girl in Portugal, on one of my trips who has just came back from Macao and I thought Wow... that is soo cool... She was traveling around the world... I would love to do that...

I started to read travel journals and books written in faraway exotic countries and I started to dream about visiting all those places I was reading about...
I realized that I had no idea of "what I wanted to be, when I grow up".
While reading, I came to the conclusion that I like to learn new things, so I completed a Quiromassage and an Aerobic Instructor course ( just for fun, I never really wanted to work as a Masseuse or as an Aerobic Instructor)
but at the end, Spain got too small for me and when I read Theo's Odyssey by Katherine Clement, I knew that I had to go.

I bought a flat in Budapest and moved all my belongings from Spain to my new Home base. I purchased a World Map, packed my suitcase and opened a new chapter in my life. I picked a country on the map, got a flight ticket, showed up in my destination, find a job and spent a couple of months just getting to know my surroundings and immersing myself into different cultures. Along the way I made some really good friends all over the world : )))))
When I felt that it was time to move, I chose another country and did it all over again. In South Africa I got for the first time in touch with the under water realm. It was love at first sight. A year later when my travels brought me to the salt and sunshine of the Caribbean, I decided to learn all what is to know about diving and I completed not only my Open Water, but an Advanced , a Rescue Diver and finally a Dive Master Course. Working as a DM was a lot of fun and the bonus: you can get a job almost anywhere in the world : ))) Ever eager to learn I finished a my Dive Instructor course in New Zealand, adding an extra profession to my CV..
The last 7 years I have spent working in the yachting industry as Chief stewardess, catering in luxury yachts for the rich and famous, cruising around the Caribbean Islands and the East Coast of the US. It was a great experience ; )
However, the urge to travel came back when I got a job offer on a yacht cruising around the world. The promise was: to see the world, experience the world and doing it one step at the time with all expenses paid,while earning a great salary : )))
It was a dream come true - or so I thought-. The promise remained just that: a promise.
Don't worry I wont bore you with all the details, but when we spent a WHOLE DAY!!!!! in Suriname and our boss give the order to sail towards French Guyana the same day, I knew that if I really want to see the world and experience it too, I have to hold the reins and do it on my own at my own pace. While traveling I have met many people who has been back packing around the Globe. The idea of traveling around and visiting all those places I wanted to go to, started to get in shape in my head...
So, I gave my notice to my eccentric, demanding boss ...
Next thing I knew I was homebound crossing the Atlantic on a boat with 24 Lonely Planet guide books as my travel companion, trying to make up my mind as of which countries I shall visit on my dream trip. I came up with a list of 36 countries, and an approximate time of 2 years ( which by now I know it was a really naive thought)
I bought a backpack filled with all the things I thought that will be absolutely necessary - of course half of it I never used-
and set off to start my journey . The idea of writing a book about it, came, when I read a really bad travel journal - written by my eccentric boss on my last boat- and when I finished the book (It was a book you would not read but finish) I decided that I could write a lot better than that . Of course I'm well aware of the fact, that saying things like that is always easier than doing it, so now I am on a quest to prove it to myself ( and to many unfortunate hungarians ) that I can write a good book.
You don't need to worry, you are safe. I write in Hungarian...
It all has started in July 2007. After the first 2 months I knew, that planning to do all what I wanted in a mere 2 years is ridiculous.
The list of the countries I would like to visit , were growing every day, and soon I was down to 3-4 years at least... as you can see from my blog I'm not just trying to ticking off countries, but really trying to experience them too.
The experience of traveling without boundaries is unique and very rewarding. When you spend some time with yourself, you really learn who you are. While traveling in developing countries I had the opportunity to watch closely and participate in the work of many NGO-s. It was a true Eye Opener. I learned that no matter how small an act is, it does make a difference.
Now finally I know "what I want to be when I grow up" : A better person.
The royalties of my book, will go to a fund in Budapest for the homeless, and if the book will be a success ( I mean; if people actually will buy it and read it, ) I will start to fund my own NGO by writing more books of my previous adventures ( and the ones yet to come : ) as well as selling my photos.
I always loved to tell stories and taking pictures. If other less fortunate people can benefit from my story telling and I could make a diference in their lives I don't see a reason why not to try. So... wish me luck and enjoy the blog.
Kat

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