Making Friends All Over The World
My dad asked me on the phone last night if I ever get lonely while traveling
I hesitated for a minute, because there are times when I do get lonely...
However most of the time, I am really not.
I am someone who enjoys spending time alone, but most of the time I am surrounded by amazing new people and friends. It is hard to describe the type of community you enter by being an avid traveller. You all have one thing in common, the love of travel. No one is in their home town, or in their comfort zone. It immediately catapults these new friendships to a level that is hard to achieve right away back home. I can know someone a day and it feels like months or years. Because all you have is each other and your wanderlust, no other distractions or commitments.
I have shared such amazing experiences with people I will probably never see again. They exit just as fast as they entered yet you have these meaningful moments together that no one else can relate too. It creates a bond unlike any other. Sometimes you get lucky and this bond turns into a true and lasting friendship...
HOME AWAY FROM HOME
I have made myself at home in places I never imagined...
With people I had never met before this trip. I met Meg in Honduras, and Katie in Guatemala, I ended up staying in both of their family homes when I traveled to the UK and Australia.
MEG & THE JONES I met this little Welsh nugget when we were both volunteering at a hostel in Roatan, Honduras. We spent a month together there and our friendship never stopped.. and I know it never will. We met up in Colombia a few months later then eventually both moved to Roatan, living a street over from each other where we spent wayyy to many days eating freeze pops (ice lolly's as Meg would say) and laughing our asses off. Meg gets me, I just can't believe I found her. It is hard to describe all we have been through together, but I am so grateful for her.
When I was headed to Scotland Meg insisted I give her 'mum' and dad a visit in Wales. Meg wasn't going to be there, I'd never met her parents, but I somehow already felt part of her family. I spent a week with the Jones family, and loved every second of it! I sipped proper tea with her mum, drank Welsh beer with her dad, was showed all the castles, met her 2 best friends, her grandparents, hung out with her dog and slept in her room. I had THE BEST time and felt so welcomed into a family I had never met before. Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Jones (Oops, I am supposed to call them Clive and Lucy Ann) for welcoming me into your home, and thank you Meg for being YOU.
KATIE & THE JOHNSTONS I met Katie in Spanish school in Guatemala, we only spent a week or so together but apparently it was enough to call her up when I headed to Australia where I spent 3 weeks with her and her family! Because sometimes when you meet someone, you just know you are destined to be friends. Katie made sure I ate all things Australia, took me to her family's farm, and introduced me to all her friends! I spent time with Katie at her apartment in Brisbane then headed to her parents house for 2 weeks. I was in need of some down time and the Johnston family welcomed me with open arms! Mr. & Mrs Johnston (Oops, I am supposed to call them Phil and Sue... no one outside of America seems to like Mr. & Mrs haha) set me up in my own room and included me in all of their family dinners. I cannot thank you enough Johnston family for all of your hospitality, it meant so much to me!
How cool is that? Because of friendships I made on the road I was able to have these experiences in the homes of families in both Wales and Australia. It just blows my mind a bit when I think about it.
FRIENDS AROUND THE GLOBE
DENISE
Denise I met while traveling in Central America, we traveled El Salvador together, then met again to travel Ecuador, then again in Uruguay and Argentina. Buenos Aires is where she spent the first half of her life before moving to New York. I stayed with her at her cousins apartment in Buenos Aries and witnessed first hand just how late the people of B.A. eat dinner!! Kinda cannot believe all the volcanos, mountains, and tiny houses we conquered together. I have no doubt there are more in our future! She is a teacher in Spain now and went on to travel so many more countries, like a boss.
GUATEMALA CREW
Totally one of the best phases of my trip, taking Spanish lessons for 5 weeks in Antigua Guatemala. You are entered into a community of all sorts of different people, just trying to learn some Spanish. I worked hard and played harder with some crazy characters that became close friends of mine I will never forget...
Bastian (Germany), Katie (England), Micha (Germany) and I, aka the four amigos. I miss this crew, we had the best time studying (and not studying), singing karaoke, and drinking too many Gallos together. We could talk and chat about everything and I really enjoyed these guys. Plus I introduced them to Wendy's (aka life) because there was randomly one in the main square and now everyone is addicted to frosty's like me.
Ricky and Miles from Australia are two of the most ridiculous people I have ever met. In the most brilliant way possible. A couple of young, typical Aussie mates with a wickedly charming yet terrifying humor about them. They turned out to be some of the sweetest people I met on my trip and were a lot of fun to get into trouble with.
Micha was part of the Guatemala crew but he and I actually met in Mexico, spending time there, Belize and Guatemala. He was the one who braved the failed attempt at climbing Volcano Actenango with me, and getting caught in a rain storm in a canoe the middle of Lake Atilan. He is from Germany and his English was not the best, but he was eager to learn (and got so much better). I cannot tell you how many laughs we had teaching each other English and German. He would pause whatever movie he was watching to ask me questions like 'Whats a cootie?' and 'What is spooning?'
Katie from England and I ended up being in Byron Bay, Australia at the same time, a wonderful surprise, and got to spend some time together. Nothing like randomly bumping into a friend in Australia..
PAULA, HEATHER & BEL Met these three cuties on a snorkel trip down the coast of Belize. They were the life of the party and that party continued when I came to visit them all in Sydney, Australia over Australia Day weekend! They welcomed me into their homes, lives and friendships for a weekend I will never forget.
CLAIRE My fellow baldie!!! Claire (England) & I met while in Indonesia and it is a story I will never forget. We hopped around Indonesia together where she helped me through a tough time and then met up in Melbourne, Australia for New Years Eve. This gal is a good one, she is my favorite person to exchange rambling WhatsApp voice messages with and I am happy to have her in my life.
ROATAN Hard to begin with all of the friendships I made in Roatan, there is too many to list and they all know who they are. Living in Roatan for 8 months was my best experience. In Roatan you will find a community unlike any other. People of all ages and backgrounds from all over the world, set up on one island, looking for something different. You know all of your neighbors, and you look out for each other. I cannot explain the magic I found with in the community of Roatan, so I am not even going to try any further. =)
I cannot believe how lucky I have gotten.
I made WAY more real friendships than I could have ever predicted.
It is kinda magical to feel welcome in so many different parts of the world, by so many people, and eager to welcome them into my part of the world wherever I may be.
So yes dad, there are times when I do get lonely!! Yet this also happened when I moved to Chicago, traveled for work, or even was home in my own bed. There are so many times when I miss my support system and my people from home.
But leaving my small corner of the world has opened my eyes to all these new eyes, and I could not be more thankful.
Thank you so much to every single new friend I have made along the way, way more than I have listed here, I love you.
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