Welcome to Edie Explores!
As I begin my blog, I question who I am and what I have to share. Ever since 2017 when I came home from my first immersive experience living in Spain, I felt I would live two lives. I have my life back in the US, with cozy family reunions, familiar social outings, and big girl responsibilities. And I have my travel life. It is as if I transform into a different person when I travel and I can truly let go and explore possibilities. I feel it the moment I board the plane and look out the window, realizing I am leaving a job, friends, and family behind for a bit, and looking at new people sitting around me. My stomach flutters knowing that I am en route to experience new things in my exploration stage. It is this excitement of a new adventure that motivates me to travel.
I quit my full-time teaching job last year to figure out my next path. I felt stuck in a job where I was spending all of my time and not feeling connected to my work. My parents and friends worried, wondering what I would do next and if I was throwing away a solid path. I wanted to have time to pursue creative passions and explore learning and teaching outside the classroom. So I embarked on a two-month traveling adventure to do some more… exploring.
Exploring life transitions
Now I am back in the US and transitioning back into figuring out how to do life here again. It is a confusing and paralyzing feeling, having spent multiple weeks in other countries on the other side of the world, and then expected to quickly adapt back to life at home. I continue to question who I am and what is my role here. I have stories and lessons ready to share, but am wondering how to begin.
Blogging has been a dream of mine for many years. I started a blog when I lived in Colombia with the Peace Corps, and wrote various posts when I was in college. But those felt easier to start – like I had some sort of guidelines. Now, I have plenty of time, but am delayed by fear of putting my thoughts out there.
I spent the past two months exploring countries in Asia and Europe and wrote down my observations, wonders, and learnings along the way. There were many unique cultural experiences, like sleeping in the Thai mountains with the Karen Hill tribe (alongside my mom) and playing with local Cambodian children while volunteering on a remote island. I am eager to share these experiences and what I learned from the people I met or traveled with, as well as the experiences of being in a certain place. These travels taught me so much about myself and I am still processing the significance of it all. I hope to share my discoveries in the life of transitioning back home as well.
Exploring blogging and sharing
Here goes my exploration of putting myself out there and publishing that blog. I consider this past year my ‘exploration stage’. But really, I have spent my life in the exploration phase. My strengths are my willingness to try something new and dive into a new adventure. My weaknesses are staying in them. I find my mind constantly scrolling through ideas for the next adventure to explore. This year my goal is to hold myself accountable in the pursuit of these dreams.
Our world is filled with divisiveness and judgment. I strive to foster human connections, bridge cultural gaps and connect people through my travels. We have preconceptions about places and people different than us. With my blog, I hope to inspire others to want to travel more and cultivate an open-minded, exploration mindset.
Finally, interviews are going to be a big part of my new blog because I learn from these interactions and connections with other people, and it makes me feel less alone in what I am feeling. I hope to share these incredible stories of other travelers who are using exploration as a way to bridge gaps and connect with the world and themselves, and interviews with those living their typical lives, but in a culture different than mine. What can we learn from them?
Let’s explore together (:
