You may become a poet with all the time in your hands to explore, to do things you’ve never done before, to love, to laugh, to do everything that involves just you because you are not dependent, at least for as long as you’re abroad (single).
1. For the much-awaited passport stamp.
2. To make new stories in life and to boast about it.
3. So that ‘the beauty of feeling lost and being okay with it’ does not sound too alien to you.
4. To learn that some countries require heavier coats in winters.
5. And that not all sunny places in the world will give you a good tan AND…
6. So you can be more flexible in life… eat late, like the spanish.
7. To direct tourists confidently once you’re back home.
8. To sometimes question the culture you were brought up in.
9. And other times, respect the culture you have seen all your life.
10. So that you can speak in a new accent and enjoy learning it.
11. For experiencing bureaucracy in a different language and to learn the art of speaking in a sign language.
12. To realise what your family truly means to you.
13. And how you can’t do without your friends.
14. But to also learn to trust and make new friends.
15. Making superbly awesome friends just to wonder how you didn’t know them all your life and how you missed the madness for so many years.
16. To get the taste of authentic recipes.
17. And to know that some countries serve cold soup.
18. To excel at the art of carrying (super) excess luggage without paying any extra charges.
(Just to give you some tips – flirting with the ground staff, asking co-passengers to share your luggage etc. really help.)
19. Before that, to actually flaunt about packing a whole house into 2 big suitcases, one handbag and a laptop bag.
20. To understand the sheer existence of Skype and FaceTime.
21. To get the feel of the local fast food.
22. And to have a chance at trying a foreign menu in Mc Donald’s.
…because Mc Donald’s is not exactly as cheap in every corner of the world.
23. To bargain with a cab driver with your limited vocabulary (of the local language) and learn the art of using less words to speak your heart out.
24. To see what home sports look like in a different language.
25. And to get obsessed with a new sport.
26. You may come across a hot whiskey at some point and you’d learn that there’s no end to the number of ways you can consume liquor.
27. To know there are many fascinating people around the world.
28. So you can finally become independent and be a confident host.
29. May be, to fill your journal with awesome memories that you can later publish and earn in millions (well that’s a rare possibility but a great motivation to travel).
30. Living abroad will tell you where you actually came from.
31. And where you belong.
32. To learn that spending some alone time in a park or next to a sea is very enlightening.
33. No matter how lonely and lost you feel, this trip will teach you to chin up and get through this.
34. To experience the sun set in another part of the world, to find out it’s just as beautiful everywhere.
35. So you can create your own space in a new city far far away from your home country’s side of the world.
36. To realise you don’t need a language to flirt, flirting just comes naturally to you.
37. And to build your photo album with so many great stories to narrate to your grand children so that you always remain the cooler grand parent.
38. To learn to cherish the moment without worrying about capturing it somewhere (because the greatest memories of your life are always missing in your photo album).
39. To take pride in the moment when people around you find you fascinating.
40. Finally, to prove the guidebook right confidently.
Or to prove the guidebook wrong.
