Learning more about life on the road

From 2007 to the beginning of 2008, I was not in Korea. I skipped 2007 and missed all the events of the year. Instead, I saw another part of the world, made some foreign friends, and made good changes of myself.

At the end of my freshman year, I needed a change badly. The daily routine was the same and some big worries about my future made me sick and tired. Finally, I needed a something powerful that can break my ordinary routine. So I started planning a trip, a long trip. However, I realized that I could not afford to travel for such a long time. Then, I found a working holiday Visa which lets young people work, study and travel at the same time. I chose Australia among four countries which provided the visa.

When I got to Australia, I was excited due to the beauty of nature. Australia had such a blessed nature and Australians lived in harmonious way with nature. Everyday, I could see the breathtakingly beautiful sky, various trees and flowers just outside of my house.

Other than the beautiful sceneries, I also learned how to live by myself. I had to do everything by myself including cooking, doing the laundry, buying household goods, and even paying the rent fee. From simple decisions to hard ones, at the end, everything was up to me; I was free.

However, getting used to living in Australia, I felt there was not so much difference between Korea and Australia. I couldn’t avoid myself searching for a refreshing event, so I decided to go to India.

The country, so to speak, is the country of ‘love and hate’. A person whom I met in India said, “India makes me crazy for twenty-three hours and fifty-nine seconds a day, but because of one second, just one second, I can’t help falling in love with this mysterious country.” I entirely agree.

One day in Kolkata, I have been walking in the street; two beggar boys have started to follow me. I had sympathy for them, so I took them to a restaurant and bought some food for them. After having a meal, when I came out, more than ten young beggars crowded at the door and they suddenly turned to me for help. At that time, I was so embarrassed that I fled that place as fast as I could, and then got depressed the rest of the day regretting that I could do nothing

Another thing I got in India was the real definition of travel. At first I thought traveling was just seeing famous cultural heritage and enjoying great nature, but then the idea changed. The real meaning and the most pleasant part of traveling was meeting many people. Meeting the local people as well as other travelers and sharing opinions and emotions are the key points of traveling.

Because I knew nothing and was fearless, I think I could leave alone toward the unfamiliar world. My travel was so special to me. If there is a person who is hesitating to travel, I would like to say “Once you just step up, you’ll get what you want and even more.”