Home Sweet Home

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I was looking forward to going home especially since I realised from the many times I had to describe my hometown, Vienna, to the locals and fellow backpackers, just how much it has to offer. Summer in Vienna is especially great with so much energy and things to do. Likewise in winter, with the skiing, christmas markets and oh too romantic surroundings from the castles to the town hall.

I was in desperate need of a holiday - so I'm going to Vienna for a 3 week holiday before work starts (hopefully I still have a job!) My round the world trip wasn't a holiday - it was stressful! I was hardly in the same place for more than 2 days, the countless days without a shower, I walked so much, and the backpack was heavy, the incredible cold I felt in my summer clothes at 5000m in Bolivia, and the unbelievable heat I felt not in the driest desert in the world of the Atacama, but in India, the uncomfortable 24 hour bus rides, sleeping in hostels at an average cost of 3 euros - they were all worth it since I wanted to see the world and learn about the different nationalities, cultures, traditions, religions, nature (many of which were world heritage sights, and even one new 7th wonder of the world!). Not to mention the amount of people of different backgrounds and experiences that I met, but also the handful of lifelong friends I made.

It's a cliche, I know, but I truly learned so much about myself:
I learned:
- to always, always trust your gut instinct,
- sadly to never trust anyone straight away, but to give them the benefit of the doubt anyway
- to laugh at a situation when it goes wrong, because there is nothing else one can do anyway! :-)
- that I like photography
- that I'd much prefer to visit a temple anyday than a museum
- that mutual respect goes a long way

And most importantly, I learned that you shouldn't waste life because it's supposedly short, but because life is the most BEAUTIFUL thing - if you embrace it. You could spend your time worrying about status, career or money, or what society deems as right, but you'd then miss out on seeing the real beauty, such as the natural beauty of the waterfalls, desert, mountains, animals and also the beauty found deep within honest people, who just want to share smiles and their happiness, even if they don't have a single dollar.

I learned to be an incredibly strong person in order to push through and defend myself and not be tricked - esp in India. This is my life, and I can either live it to the fullest and embrace it, or be unhappy living it by someone else's rules. This is the new don't-mess-with-me Silvita.

Well, I'm off to have 4 showers in a row now, wash my clothes and put it in the donation box (since after wearing them for 3 months I'm sick of seeing them).

Remember - Take time to enjoy your life - it's beautiful.

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Comments

[AV]

Welcome back to Vienna ! Enjoy your 3 weeks here, it is the best period of the year !

[sri]

That's wonderful :) Yes life is wonderful! Welcome back to good ole life!

[Joel T]

Welcome back
Good to have you back! And nice to hear about your newfound Wien-appreciation...

[Andy]

I'm glad you made it back in one piece li'll Silvi! :) I'm gonna miss your blogs so be sure to keep mailing me, I'm far but near (.."coz you're hot then you're cold, you're yes and you're no"....damn this Katy Perry madness!)

[Nigel and Margie in Australia]

10/10
Home at last. What a wonderful insightful last page on your blog! You should be a writer; I have been very impressed with all your dispatches. And I am glad you like photography – it can be very rewarding, especially when you share your results as you have with us. What a shame you could not have had two of those three weeks holiday (in Vienna) in say, Johannesburg or Cape Town (or, hey, Australia!) but I can understand what claustrophobic conditions can do to one’s spirit. Enjoy your vacation.... (what about little trips to Bratislava or Prague?) and be refreshed in body, mind and spirit when you do return to work. I hope you don’t have water restrictions on those showers like we’ve had in Oz. Thank you again so much for such meaningful and entertaining correspondence. And Grandma Pope has enjoyed reading them, too. Look forward to an update on the photos? X -Nigel and Margie.

[Silvita]

Vienna
I'm going to miss writing the blogs too! During the trip I carried a notebook everywhere, and would stop on the street or sometimes write while I was walking. Writing down the things that I noticed forced me to be more attentive to the surrounds. So today I walked to the Vienna Opera, and reached into my bag to take out my camera (except I didn't bring it with me, because who goes sightseeing in their own town?!) - I started to look at Vienna in a different light today.

[Thamsin]

I am glad you have made it home safely. I have really enjoyed reading all your blogs and have found them very useful. I will keep in mind all the things you have written about when I visit all thse places you went to. (I might give India a miss though especially if I am on my own.) I have been to Japan and found it as amazing as you did. I didn't know what to expect before I went there, but I was pleasantly surprised at what a fantatsic place it was and how polite and friendly the people were. Sounds like you have had an amazing experience that you will never forget. I am so proud of you for doing this and being so strong and not getting pushed around. Well done:)