As I write this i’m sat in a library in New Brighton near Christchurch in New Zealand. As I look outside the window I can  see waves crashing on a beautiful pristine beach and see the sunlight reflecting off the azure water.

It’s hard to believe that nearly ten months has passed since I started my semi RTW trip to Asia and Oceania.

As I sit here I’m trying to make sense of my feelings. I am so excited to go home. To see my friends and family and celebrate Christmas with my loved ones will be the perfect end to my trip. Unsurprisingly I am also starting to mourn my freedom, before my trip has ended.

This past ten months has gone so fast and yet so slow. I have done so many things that are out of character and developed as a person more than I can ever imagine.

I have battled a tropical disease on my own, resisting the lure of comfort and home and instead choosing freedom and travel. I have faced my fears, experiencedbeing groped and scammed,  talked to people from all around the world, experienced intense loneliness and reverse culture shock and seen extreme poverty and disability.

I am a changed person.

The one thing that I want when I get back is to be happy, life is too short to waste doing things that you don’t love. I want to wake up every morning and literally seize the day! I’m excited to see how the new me acts in the ‘real world’.

I will do everything in my power to be happy in life. I have changed and my life back at home will inevitably change too.

I never want to be unhappy ever again.

In the future I’m going to choose happiness, everyday.

You can keep up to date with my adventures by following my Facebook page. I update it daily and it’s an easy way to contact me.

https://www.facebook.com/PearlsandPassports