(Hi. A really corny letter. To all the people I’ve met, especially Jan. 28-June 20 2019)
I’m honestly still trying to wrap my thoughts around the last couple of months abroad in Paris. But this is not about Paris. I also had the most easy and affordable access to the rest of Europe. I travelled to 16 other cities in 7 countries. I know that I, along with others, rave about travelling. But shit, yes! It gets tough sometimes, especially when you’re on your own. I’ve been lost, felt unsafe, been burnt out, and have definitely felt alone sometimes. But we keep traveling and doing this because all those moments feel really minuscule in comparison to the big moments, the wow moments, and the ones that make us feel at home. We may travel alone, but we’re not always alone. There were so many people I’ve met these past few months – some whom I never even got a chance to get their names, yet, they still looked out for me. You wonderful people have made a world of a difference to my travel experience. This one’s for you.
So to the three girls who made sure I was okay in Trésor nightclub before they let me go through the dark tunnel on my own, the warm Italian welcome I received in Bordeaux, my best friend at the wine tasting tour, the woman I shared an Uber with in Sintra to save a few euros but ended up with something much more valuable (her company), the boy who sat down beside me to say hello inside my first time at Berghain, the couple in Berlin who did incredibly cute things for me like hog a full couch next to theirs in the common room of a hostel so we could sleep off our hangovers (we had checked out and had no where to sleep), the one I shared a night out with in quiet Nuremberg, the couple who lent me their phone when I lost mine in Marseille, the people I shared a lazy day with in Serra de Tramuntana doing absolutely nothing as if we were old friends, the boys who treated me like one of their own at Paraiso Music Festival, the people I sat with on the beach shore in Nice and watched the lights twinkle, my roommate in Annecy who spent the whole day with me even though we spoke in different languages, the girls in Porto who left me a parting gift even though we’ve only spoken for minutes in total, the older men who shared intimate tales of their lives and the vibrant characters I met at Sunset Destination, the people I travelled in Portugal with, my first friend in Berlin who also let me hold their hand at 5am just because, the guy I chugged back a beer with at 6am and attempted our first at Berghain (and got rejected), and so so so many more people – thank you.
The list can honestly go on and on and on. It could’ve been just a simple hello, some directions, an invitation to go out, a helping hand – honestly every little thing adds up and makes our adventure that much more special. Thank you for your company, for your generosity, for making sure I was safe, for making it special. It’s incredible. There’s an eternity of dimensions, feelings, and consequences that are within a moment, and while moments and everything in life is transient in nature, there’s something permanent that sticks within these relationships. While our meeting may have been as brief as a minute or maybe we spent the whole day together or two, your love and kind intentions fuel my strength to continue to travel, my love for the world, and re-enforce the notion that fuck yes, I can do this. I can do anything.
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