While many people are afraid of stepping outside of their comfort zone and seeing this amazing world, I was more afraid of not seeing it. Petrified in fact, I would miss out on experiencing an opportunity to learn, absorb and engage in all our beautiful planet has to offer.

​

Eternally plagued by the desire to travel to the other side of the world whether it be to visit Castro's Cuba or to go white water rafting in Dominica de Republica and discover the precious rock Larimar, I thought all people yearned to experience such mind blowing adventures at some point in their life. It is only once I met people from all corners of the globe that I realised, not everyone wants to go walk about around the world with a small backpack where ever the wind blows them. Apparently, that’s not “normal”. As it turns out, I don’t care for normal, as it never really appealed to me.

​

What did and still does appeal to me, is to travel to the likes of North Sudan to live a year in a country so rich in history and culture; and while there, why not pop over next door to Ethiopia that is so close yet vastly different. I was fortunate enough to hike the Semien Mountains and gaze out over what is referred to as the table tops of Africa. The horizons, people and life experiences are simply priceless. Hence, it is without a doubt, that returning to Australia after 9 Years of living and travelling abroad, that I suffered what I can only refer to as culture shock. But how can you suffer from culture shock in your own country? It is then that I realised I have become a citizen of the world.

​

So, I guess you could say, this blog is a perspective from a western girl that is not so western anymore.