I'm leaving in a month and a half for South America! I'm landing in Ecuador and backpacking through Bolivia/Chile/Peru/Argentina after that for around 3 or 4 months (or 6!). I can't believe it! Finally- I've been wanting desperately to travel for two years now. I got a perfect backpack (60 Liters, a sleepingbag compartment, a zip-off/zip-on daypack if I don't want to take the whole bacpack out fotr the day, a toiletry compartment for deoderant/toothbrush/whatever other shit) the other day, my travel first aid kit (I wasn't gonna get one, but ended up buying one on impulse just in case), my passport got here a couple weeks ago, and one of those travellers money belts. I'm heading down to the clinic on the 27th for my shots, and I just bought one of those backpacker hammocks (the ones that fold over you like a tent so I don't need to carry around an extra 5 or 10 lbs with me) I can't believe I now have the power to go ANYWHERE I want! On one hand, I'm so scared. In 16 days I leave Vancouver and my best friends so that I can move in with my folks for a month. In a month and a half, I leave Canada, all my friends, my family members, my safety net, my language, and everything I've ever really known. I leave all but the very, very necessary possessions. I leave my laptop, my music, my cellphone, my job, my apartment. In a month and a half, pretty much every aspect of my life is changing. But on the other hand... I finally get to leave! I get to do something I've wanted to for years, leave everything, start new. Explore another language, culture, climate, design. Stay in hostels and couchsurf, meet new people and likeminded souls. Explore, learn, grow, be independant. I'm so anxious. Tempted a bit to sell off all my belongings and leave this week, but I know I still need to get my shots, travel insurance, book my flights, and get a backpack. For all that I need $ which = working full-time in Kamloops for a month and living with my parents again, even if it's only short-term God, I can't wait.
Wow sounds like an amazing trip you have planned there It's awesome you are doing it so young and by yourself too. Takes a hell of a lot of courage. You'll learn so much from it, it'll be a huge education. I was scared when I missioned it off to asia by myself too. Couldn't sleep the night before at all, couldn't eat anything either I was so nervous... I almost chickened out at one point but knew if i did i'd regret it for forever lol So I just forced myself to go for it. It's really hard leaving as you say your "safety net" and your friends and your whole culture behind because it's all safe and familiar. Maybe you will get homesick/culture shocked for a week or two, most people do, but over time you will actually learn to love the boundless new found freedom of life on the road. You can wake up and go anywhere you want. You can try completely new things without fear of being judged by people. You'll grow in confidence and learn to get along with a variety of people and thus become much more open minded. If you are feeling anxious about it still on the days running up to your flight then just remember that if you really hate it that much you can easily just get a flight back home. No problems. But I imagine like most people you'll stick it out and by the end you wont want to come back home again lol It's funny because people say to me "wow going out there on your own must've been really hard" I always say "Well a little but actually coming back was much much harder!" Yah so try to relax. You'll have the time of your life...you may even end up teaching english or something and staying out there, it happens...
