full circle

This past year has been both the most influential and best year of my life. August 24th last year I was on a plane moving to France for a semester abroad. On Tuesday I was on a train leaving my home for the past two months in Switzerland to begin my travels, starting in France.


In this past year I can say I have learnt more than I could have ever imagined about who I am as a person and what I want out in life. I think that is the beauty of traveling, it let’s you find your true self while losing yourself in different cultures and ideas. Things you thought before you began traveling might end up not being as true as you once thought; and things you never thought you could do, you can. You always surprise yourself when pushed outside of your normal comfort zone.

I have realized that one of the toughest things to do while traveling, or living abroad, is saying goodbye to the people you meet along the way. Whether they’re in your life merely a few days, or months, it never gets easier. Though what I have also come to realize is that time goes by so quickly. Whether you see these people again, or not, they have had a major role in your life and helped shape the person you are, even if the tiniest ways.

I am so grateful for the people that I have met over the past year. I am also so lucky to have an amazing group of friends back home in Canada, all of whom have been nothing but supportive of me, yet I have also been more than lucky to meet some of the most interesting, inspiring, and like-minded people while exploring Europe.

Even though saying goodbye is never easy, I never thought that a mere 4 months after moving home to Canada after living in France that I would be back in Europe living in Switzerland for 2 months, then traveling around visiting friends for 5 weeks. I guess we always come full circle eventually. So goodbye is never really goodbye, it is simply “see you”.

All being said, I am sure that in the next 5 weeks I will continue to meet people that will somehow play a role in my life; and nothing excites me more.