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Shares
People try to tell you what you'll find and the experiences you'll have when you go on an adventure. You'll hear the nostalgia in their voice as they remember their own story and the fantasy as they dream of their next. But what no one seems to tell you about travel is the small ways in which it changes you, not the grandiose adventure but the little nuances you find back in your ordinary life. It was at the end of my journey as I was closing out a year of backpacking that the thought of home loomed. New Zealand, my last horizon before I would board a flight and head back to the Bay Area. I had changed since I set out, not in the obvious ways of seeing new countries and cultures but rather the subtle ways in which I related to the world. My budget was nearly gone when I had reached New Zealand and I relied heavily on the kindness of strangers. I had always believed in the kindness of humanity and when humanity failed me, which it did at moments, I trusted that they needed it more than me. I found that humans no matter what language, culture, ethnicity, etc. are kind and while I had held this belief before it was only amplified by experience especially in moments of tragedy. I found that no matter what happens, I will figure it out. I developed a trust in myself and my intuition that has guided my life since returning. Every moment that I spent exploring the north island of New Zealand was a moment of reflection. I could sense the nostalgia already creeping into my own thoughts, reminding me to stay present to life as it unfolds. To say yes the adventure of the unexpected and the unknown. And to realize that I didn't have to be abroad or to travel to find it. That the real adventure was not necessarily the new frontiers that I had seen and conquered but rather the worlds, the light and the shadows that travel enabled me to discover within myself. I won't tell you what you will experience on your adventure because that's for you to write but I will share mine in hopes that it inspires you to continue to explore and challenge your boundaries while you learn about yourself and your relation to this beautiful world.