One year, 12 months, 365 days, one crazy trip around the sun. For most people this amount of time doesn’t provoke much thought and it doesn’t usually for myself as well. But in a quick ordinary moment I realized that this year I wasn’t like most people.
I took a browse through a calendar the other day and noticed that it was nearing the 28th of April. Which was a date that I remember quite clearly looking forward to. It was the date where my good friend, Brandon, and I walked into the Edmonton International Airport with our Backpacks full and our minds empty of expectations. That’s right it was the day that this crazy adventure of mine began. On that day, I had no idea what I was in for and now that a year has passed I’m not entirely sure what happened!
I remember meeting other travelers at the beginning my travels that had been gone for a few months and getting a feeling of admiration for them. I’d sit and listen to their stories like a sponge I’d absorb as much information and experiences as I could. But somewhere along the way, I transformed into one of those “experienced” people. I soon noticed that there were fewer and fewer travelers whose journeys had out lasted mine. But like many things, I didn’t give this too much thought, as it never really felt like I was away for an entirely long time. I hold the absence of changing seasons to blame for this feeling, because usually when months pass you can see the natural way time changes scenery, however, that is not the case in Australia. Yeah, the temperature changes over time but everything is always green and growing. But when I look back on this year and think of all that has happened and all the people that I’ve been blessed to spend time with everything seems to add up a bit better.
There were some funny little facts about this year that I found to be quite astonishing and made me feel a little less ordinary. For instance, I’ve spent 10 of the 12 months sharing a room, bunk bed or spot on the floor with many people most of which were strangers. I’ve also spent 10 of those months watching water drain in the opposite direction. I have two bracelets that have been on my wrist for 11 months straight 24-7, but haven’t worn a tie for the entire year (that one’s a weird one for me!). It has been nearly two entire seasons since I’ve seen a professional hockey (ice) game on TV (that one is really weird and almost unbearable for me)! There are a few children who have been conceived, born and missed very very much by myself. In the entire year I have only seen six people that I knew before the year started, four of which were within the first 2 months of traveling! I cannot even remember my last snowfall. And somehow after this year I am still, unbelievably, not sick of pasta!
I said I came over here to find myself, and I found myself broke! No but really, I’ve learned a lot from this trip, about the world and myself and wouldn’t trade my experiences for all the pasta in the world. I owe a lot of people credit for my experiences, from people who bought me a beer along the way or those who just signed the guest book when they could: it’s all made a world of a difference. It would probably take me another year to even attempt to return all the warmth I’ve received So thanks all for the best trip around the sun one could ask for. Here’s to hoping that the next trip is just as good, but slightly less expensive. Round and round we go again!
Happy Trails,
Ryan
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