Once upon a time there was a girl that traveled to Europe alone as her graduation present. She wanted to see the world and enjoy it all on her own, for solitude had never scared her. However, due to a bad combination of a wrong medication, lack of sleep and the usual jitters of traveling alone, she spent two months in Europe crying all over. And I mean ALL OVER. Her tears saw the Grand Canal in Venice, the Roman ruins, the beautiful autumn streets of Paris and even Big Ben. Luckily for her, she met a great combination of friends. A cheerful roommate and friend in Venice that showed her she could be strong, and, on her last day there, showed her the beauty of Venice she had been missing all month long. In Paris, she met someone she thought she was: a strong young woman that traveled all over Europe on her own and tried new things. With this friend, she discovered the sweetness of Paris (literally!) and had, once again, a lovely last day in Paris filled with a delicious meal and the Eiffel Tower. Then in London, she learned to face things on her own, but with a taste of family life at a friend of a friend's home.
When she came back, she dreaded everything she had wasted. Why had the trip been full of tears? Why couldn't she have stayed there longer? What was the purpose of all those tears? After many weeks and months of self-reflection, she realized that was exactly what she needed to do. She needed to suffer and cry her way through Europe in order to figure out exactly what she wanted from life. It must be stated that such character had no idea what to do with her life before the trip. After analyzing and re-living those two months in Europe, everything fell into place, and when everything did so, doors opened and everything seemed bright once again.
And what has become of that girl now? She moved into her very own apartment by herself, she has a job that she adores, she has met wonderful people in her new city, she has moved on without the "what if's" that taunted her mind, and she spends her free time reading and writing on her moleskin and on this blog. Her past life is finally in the past without loosing the friendships that mattered (even keeping in touch with those wonderful angels she met in Europe!), with her family supporting her and with so many new opportunities. The road will not be easy for a new chapter means a new set of obstacles to overcome, but it also means a new set of smiles, laughter and love.
Thank you to those who have supported me on this journey.
