03/21/25
Wow. What a ride its been. In just over a month, I will be flying back to the USA. But a month is still a lot of time, especially when traveling. I have some exciting things planned for these final few weeks, but the reality of the trip being at an end is beginning to set in.
I am trying to refrain from looking back on the trip too much just yet, because I know the reflection on the entire journey will not be a simple task, and I want to continue enjoying each day and taking on new experiences while I am still out here. Even just beginning to consider this journey makes me immediately emotional and introspective.
The life that I have been living is a dream. My dream- which only took me 2 years to turn into my reality. Before my semester in Vienna, I had the mindset and trust required to chase a dream, so as soon as I discovered what that dream actually was, I quickly determined how to make it possible. And now I am at the end of this chapter.
I remember so vividly how I felt before leaving. To consider how I feel now, sitting in this hostel room in the Philippines, having been to nearly 20 countries and sleeping in probably 100 different beds, is difficult to put into words. To say that I have changed is putting it very lightly. I was confident going in, and honestly I remained confident through the majority of my time. It has been far from easy. Not even the physical challenges of getting around and exploring new cultures and terrains (though I have had my share of these). The hardest part has been the various mental battles that have arisen at different points of the trip. Loneliness, balancing introversion and extroversion, forcing myself to ‘meet new people,’ realizing that the people I am forcing myself to meet (and sometimes forcing myself to act differently around) are often not worth my time and energy. This is barely scratching the surface.
When the trip is officially at an end, I will go deeper into the reflection, look through my journals (over two full notebooks), and hopefully gain a clearer understanding about the lessons I learned about myself and about the world throughout this insane adventure.
– Ryan
