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We learn fear at the early stages of our childhood and once we do, we can never shake it off again. Whether it’s the fear of something bigger than us, like death, or something small, like telling someone we like them. It becomes an integral part of our lives. But from the very moment of booking that ticket to one of the greatest adventures of my life, I didn’t feel fear once. As strange as it may seem to some, a young girl embarking on a journey to the other side of the world – all by herself. Though everyone is different, the reactions where pretty much the same – wondering if I’d fallen on my head or if I’d come back whole. Ignorance is bliss and so I ignored the naysayers and preachers, spited my flesh and blood and took off – into life. Close your eyes, block out the noise and imagine the clearest shade of blue with tiny white spots, hurling around, clashing into each other and dancing together, creating a soothing, swishing sound, a gentle breeze caressing your face and playing with your hair, a fresh salty scent invading your nostrils. Now open your eyes – in front of you lays paradise. The Andaman Sea. And you will never forget the view, no matter how many years you have lived, how far you have traveled and how many things you have seen. It leaves a mark on your soul. And so it did on mine. I embraced my destination with arms wide open, grabbing each and every single experience and locking it inside my memory like a treasure inside a chest, forever cherished. A girl on the edge of the world, my feet touched the hot and cracked earth of the travelers paradise – Koh Phi Phi. With every step I took, my heart grew and the once shy creature blossomed like a wild flower, smiling at the locals, chatting with other travelers, inhaling the surroundings with every cell in her body. I could write for hours and describe every single adventure, every minute of every day, but then I would rob you of the opportunity to discover it all for yourself. I will only say this – I became a friend, a local, an explorer – I braved the waves and the jungle, I dodged snakes and mosquitoes, I held crabs in my hands, I danced in the moonlight around the fire and gazed at the starry sky. And I have never felt more at peace, and I have never cared less, and I have never been myself more than I was on the island. And not once did I feel fear – not when I walked all alone in the middle of the night back to my bungalow up the hill, in complete darkness. Not when I found a snake in my bed right before closing my eyes. Not when I crossed the jungle to get to the other side of the island and not when I almost missed the last boat back. I have never been more free in my life – when I watched a movie on the rooftop of a bar with strangers, when I sat on the beach looking at the stars and watching a fire dance, when I swam in the silky blue waters and rested on the hot sand. And when the boat took me back and I boarded the plane, I felt grateful – I could experience the most pure form of life, unstained with fear, sadness, longing, loneliness, hopelessness, weakness. Thank you, Richard, for planting a seed of adventure in my heart, for not being afraid to face the unknown and showing the world what it means to be alive. For we are but dust in the wind, may it carry us gently through our path in time and show us the wonders of our world.