from play to passion: status update

in an airplane, reflecting on my play leg. one of my biggest takeaways of my travels so far: resilience.when you travel third world countries your standards change. the morning i woke up back in southeast asia after being in australia i was already covered in bug bites. i think i counted 18 between my ankle and my toes at one point. in Komodo i think i had some sort of heat rash on my shoulders, in El Nido i think i had been swarmed by sand flies. each time i assumed it was bed bugs (a bullet i have dodged so far, knock on wood). ever since i woke up to that cockroach crawling across my mouth in Thailand, bugs don’t faze me.

i have rode perched on a rickety seat of tuktuks/tricycles, squished on a lopsided seat on a 5 hour ride. in Rwanda i was crammed in a local bus with the worst BO i have ever smelled, just craving for the woman in front of me to crack the window. not fazed. (also, we pulled over at a police checkpoint and some sketchy stuff happened with the driver and a woman being pulled away in tears. slightly fazed. but moving on)

spent 6 hours in Bali’s domestic airport only to end up missing my flight, shed a tear, then turned on my fave songs in the uber and went back to get drunk with my hostel and mexicola friends back in Seminyak.went to the weirdest kung fu acrobatics show in Beijing where i was the only tourist and everyone was horking and spitting on the ground the entire show. i was shivering freezing and had no idea what anyone was saying but the performers were crazy talented. and so nonchalant about it. in my head i am laughing to myself thinking, what a random thing this is that i am doing.it’s all part of it.before this trip i had never backpacked. i suitcased around europe and rio. now my backpack is my Wilson. i feel complete when i put it on, like it’s a part of me. there’s somethin about carrying all your current belongings on your back.

this girl in Manila was all in a tizzy that i had walked on this sketchy street and that i was traveling asia by myself. she was like DO YOU KNOW SELF DEFENSE? AREN’T YOU SCARED? at Motel Mexicola in Bali this girl wouldn’t let me leave her side when she found out i was traveling alone. she was like BE CAREFUL, NO ONE IS HERE TO TAKE CARE OF YOU.lol hunnies i traveled in Africa by myself. Asia has been a walk in the park.i can guarantee 2-3 years ago Kellie would not have embraced the “experience” aspect like i have learned to. traveling to me now is a challenge of getting out of my comfort zone and taking it all in stride. resilience. i am really hoping that transfers over to my real life. i guess we’ll find out.back in vancouver i am getting kicked out of my beloved apartment due to a renovation. it’s been stressful feeling like my hands are tied from across the world, but luckily i have the world’s best family and friends who have volunteered to help me out. it’s the sign for a new adventure, i guess! i LOVE my perfect life in Kits but if this trip has taught me anything it’s that there’s more to life than being comfortable.another takeaway from my play leg: i love being the fun one. i totally get that from my mom. people want to be around you when you are positive, no drama, just enjoying yourself. it’s been a blast :) i know myself better and have more self esteem than ever. if you don’t love yourself, you need to check yourself.

i’m not dwelling on the things i used to dwell on being a single 28-year-old. there is so much more to life than waiting to meet someone, settling down into married life and kids. not saying i don’t want that one day but i am certainly not sitting around hoping it comes anymore. not that i really was sitting around but you know what i mean.

so many feels towards all of the people that have been on this journey with me, whether i met them on my travels, we reunited on purpose, or they have sent me inspiring/supportive messages from home. i really feel lucky to have these people in my life.