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MJ, 31 October 2007
Netherlands The Hague

Really...this is the last message!

Hello to you all! A sad moment has arrived, it is time for me to write my last message on my weblog. But it is also a joyful moment: I am back in Europe save & sound and had a real ‘trip-of-a-lifetime’!

I will try to make this last weblog a reflection/summary of my trip. I will write about what I have learned, what surprised me positively and negatively, what were the ups & downs, what I missed most and how my trip changed me as a person.
By now you all know me pretty well, since you have followed my adventures. So you might also know, that this last message will probably not be a short one... I can only hope you will find the time to sit down, be relaxed and have a moment to give it a good read

It is strange to be back, different, but also the same. Not much has changed here, but I look at it a bit differently now. I feel it is easier to put things in perspective and realise I am comparing the life in Europe with the life in Africa and Asia. Although this will probably get less and less, I hope I will be able to take the good things of the diverse cultures and keep them with me in Europe.
I have learned to make it my home in lots of different places in the world and hence I cannot say my home is at just one place. Home seems to be where I am living and where I feel good. This is a really nice thought, because it means home can be everywhere, but it can also be almost nowhere at the same time.

One big thing that I learned can not really be described. It is more a feeling of understanding some things better. Things make more sense. It is easier to take other cultures or beliefs into consideration. I try to be more open to different views or opinions and try not to put things into a box or certain category. Things are like they are and it is not up to me to change it, it is up to me to deal with them and change myself if necessary.

However, there are also things I learned, experienced or just want to share that is very easy to write down So here is an overview:

COUNTRY THAT HAD THE BIGGEST IMPACT ON ME: SOUTH-AFRICA
I never dared to dream that giving can be so useful and gives such a huge feeling of fulfilment. Making yourself useful for other people is so heart-warming, I recommend it to everybody! Meeting people who are still very strong, even after everything that happened to them, gives hope. If they can survive, there is nothing we can’t survive. Of course, it is depressing at times too, to realise what people do to each other. But in general a feeling of hope and faith is very present! I realised that we all can make a difference, it is just a matter of contributing and helping the best you can. And then you are not only helping other people, you are helping yourself as well. I never expected it was possible to get such a close bound to people in only two months. Leaving them was very difficult, but I will go back!

MOST BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY: THAILAND
White beaches, rocks and cliffs coming out of the water, a blue and clear sea and very friendly people. A perfect country to relax and reload the battery.

DIP OF THE TRIP: NEPAL
I have to mention that it is not the country that was bad. It was more about expectations. I expected a clean, easy going country, but instead found dirty roads, intense people, bad air, unhygienic restaurants... My immune-system was not 100% and because I had been a little bit sick I was tired and weak. And when you are tired, you only see the negative side. I didn’t appreciate the beautiful mountains, nice shops, cheap hotels and friendly people. However, I now realise that it is important to have a 'dip'. It made me understand that structure and routine is something that can be very nice. To have a clean bed and a warm shower is a privilege. Nepal thought me to appreciate all those things and after seeing the Himalaya my mood went uphill again!

A DIFFERENT VIEW ON LIFE: INDIA
Coming straight from South-Africa into Mysore, unprepared of what to expect, turned out great! There I was, in a world of yoga, meditation, listening to your body and feelings. In the beginning my rational self found a lot of things strange and I was sceptic, but as I listened more to what different people had to say, I realised that we can learn a lot from India and its people. Behind the curtain of spirituality lies a lot of wisdom!

- Create a better balance between body, mind and soul:
One thing that Indians know how to do is listening to their body and feelings. In the Western world a lot of times the mind is dominant over the body and soul. For example: How often does it happen that your body aches and you feel sick, but you go to work anyways? That you suppress those feelings and just keep on going? Why do you think burnout’s happen so regularly now? Probably because we suppress our feelings and body aches and that cannot be done forever. I learned to listen to my body when it needs to relax or when it needs a break. By resting when necessary, it became so much easier to enjoy my trip or do the things that need to be done.
I think we should listen a bit more to our gut feelings and not only to what the rational mind has to say. Important to note that it is not one way or the other, we just need a bit more balance between working and relaxing, rational and emotional, arguments and feelings, body, mind and soul.

- Don’t be selfish:
Yoga is not only about stretching and becoming more flexible. It is also about living a good life. Helping each other, without thinking about yourself.

- Try to do nothing so now and then:
Sometimes doing nothing and letting things happen is great. Not BE lived, but just live. Not planning to much, but just see where life takes you. Taking time to relax and reflect. We are so stressed these days, we have the feeling that a lot of things HAVE to happen, right now! But that is not true, we are just pushing ourselves and letting work or social events determine our days. It would be a good thing if we spend some more time with each other and go out in nature and relax, realise how nice it is to just live our lifes!

- Live in the present:
Yesterday doesn’t really matter, it is done. You can learn from it, but you can’t change it. Tomorrow will be determined on what you do today. So it is mainly the NOW that matters. Before my travels I read this quote: ’the journey of a thousand miles begins with 1 step’. It is only that step that matters. Not the ones you took or will take, you can only influence this step. I will try more to ‘go-with-the-flow’ and take life one step at a time.

THE COUNTRY THAT IS MOST 'REAL': LAOS
Not many tourists and the real Asian life. If the Lao people get through the day, they are happy. They enjoy being with their family and just live. It is great to see with how little, they are happy. In Europe we have so many things, but we only want more and we have no time to enjoy what we have. We are never satisfied. In Laos, they just have enough things to survive, but they have a lot of time to enjoy it, so they are happy!

Every country has its own charm and I feel very lucky that I had a chance to experience all that. It was a great time and I will never forget it! If you are wondering if I will travel again soon... Well, you never know, but for now I am happy to be back and get started with my life in Norway again. At this point I can not imagine going away for another 6 months again, but I am not done with travelling either. Shorter trips, weekends, maybe 2 month back to Africa

I think it doesn’t matter how long you go on a trip, when you get to the end you will be ready to go home. At one point you have seen all the temples, waterfalls and palaces
However, you will never get tired of meeting new people, everybody is unique and if you take the time, they will have great stories to tell. Also, they will want to know about you. Most of them will never leave their own country, their way to learn about the world is by the stories you tell them.

Would I make the same trip, if it was the 29th of April 2007 again? Yes, for sure! I do not regret anything, things went as they went. The ups & downs, the easy countries and the difficult countries, meeting people, it was the combination of it all that blended into a good balanced trip.

Maybe there are some of you out there that are planning to make the first step in their journey of a thousand miles. Hereby some tips that helped me:

*Don’t plan to much: Although it is good to know where you go and read something about the culture, the most funniest things happen when you are unprepared. You don’t have a hotel? Somebody will invite you for a homestay. You don’t have money? You will have to share with the locals. You don’t know what you are eating? That is maybe better!

*Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy. Take your time to take it all in. Sometimes the aim is the travelling and not the destination. Relax in your 24 hour train-ride and reflect on what you experienced.

*Take your time. Rather visit less things and stay longer than run from one city to the other. Travelling should be a holiday sometimes as well Just stand still, look around and take it all in.

*Learn from other people. Talk to them, make jokes, bargain. You will be surprised how open they are.

*Don’t let the season influence your trip: It will rain or storm or be very hot anyways. I went, against recommendations, in the rainy season to Asia. But I didn’t experience much rain. And I had the advantage of green nature, it was not busy and everything is cheap.

I am going to conclude this message with some 'did you know that' sentences.
DID YOU KNOW THAT...

...Cape Town is the coolest capital?
...The Chinese Wall is very impressive?
...It is better to take your paints of on a squat toilet than to pee on them?
...The train is a super relaxed mode of transport?
...Negotiating is a way of communicating in Asia?
...Hong Kong is very expensive?
...Leaving Africa was the hardest thing I had to do?
...I am very happy I went on this trip?
...I am also very happy that I am back?
...I missed drinking coffee with my friends?
...Playing sports again is something I really look forward too?
...I was spoiled by my parents the last week?
...I have been in 9 countries outside of Europe?
...These countries are: South-Africa, Lesotho, India, Nepal, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and China?
...I travelled for around 40.000 kilometres?
...This is the same distance as the equator around the earth?
...I took 17 flights?
...I am a little bit afraid of flying?
...Chinese people can be very rude?
...They probably have to be, because there are so many of them?
...I really liked that you all red my weblog and left messages on my site?
...This will be the second last sentence of my weblog?

Lots of love and hugs,
Mirjam (alias MJ)

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