I have to admit that before and even while I was in Australia I started to get a bit homesick and road weary. For a while I was even wandering if I could make it a full year. Since I haven't booked the tickets for the second half of my trip yet I was starting to think I maybe I would cut it a bit short.
When I arrived in Melbourne I had a bit of a rejuvenation while staying with my first couchsurfing host because her home was so homey and comfortable (though cold). It was also nice walking around her neighborhood with the warm, but not hot, sun shining down and the scent of spring flowers in the air. It reminded me a bit to literally "stop and smell the roses." I also picked up and started reading Eat, Pray, Love (a book I had not previously read and which did not, contrary to popular opinion, influence my decision to take this trip). I only got through the "Eat" section in Italy and part of the "Pray" section in India before I moved on from that house, but it did have an influence on my view on my travels. The entire time the author was in Italy she did not go to one museum. She did spend a lot of time walking (and eating) her way through Rome, but she did not put pressure on herself to see and do something monumental or important each day. She even quit her formal Italian lessons midway through upon finding it took time away from her actually getting out and speaking the language. I was taking it easy and not doing much my first few days in Melbourne and taking in the author's perspective made me feel like this was actually okay.
Then things started to go wrong again--my computer broke, I was stressed about money in pricey Australia and constantly worried about arranging the next place I was going to stay. My newfound zen perspective suddenly went right out the window. Of course there were still many good moments--dressing up on Halloween, going out sailing, working on the vineyard. And I started to get excited again about my upcoming plans just by watching Nat Geo Adventure at Lachlan and Dan's house. And episode of "Anthony Bourdain" actually made sad I'd already come and gone from Bangkok. By the time I got to the vineyard in Orange I was in a much better place again, having settled on a plan for the rest of my time in Australia that saved me money and allowed me to relax a bit in the beautiful countryside in spite of the five hours of daily farm work. Meeting up with Becky back in Sydney was also a nice sense of home that made me feel like I'm not always all alone by myself out there on the road.
I realize it seems quite selfish and petty of me to be complaining about this amazing opportunity I have, but there's just no denying that it's not all sunshine and roses (see second paragraph... haha) all the time. I know I'm still putting a lot of pressure on myself to make the most of every day and not waste a single second, but it's really hard to maintain that intensity and be "on" all the time. I know it sounds totally silly since I don't have a job, but unlike people with jobs I don't feel like I ever have a "weekend" off. I spend nearly every day either sightseeing, making travel arrangements/dealing with logistics back home or in transit. Sometimes it's a little bit of all three. As I continue on through these next eight months, one of my goals is to give myself more breaks every now and then and actually be okay with it instead of laying the guilt on myself. We'll see how that goes!
When I arrived in Melbourne I had a bit of a rejuvenation while staying with my first couchsurfing host because her home was so homey and comfortable (though cold). It was also nice walking around her neighborhood with the warm, but not hot, sun shining down and the scent of spring flowers in the air. It reminded me a bit to literally "stop and smell the roses." I also picked up and started reading Eat, Pray, Love (a book I had not previously read and which did not, contrary to popular opinion, influence my decision to take this trip). I only got through the "Eat" section in Italy and part of the "Pray" section in India before I moved on from that house, but it did have an influence on my view on my travels. The entire time the author was in Italy she did not go to one museum. She did spend a lot of time walking (and eating) her way through Rome, but she did not put pressure on herself to see and do something monumental or important each day. She even quit her formal Italian lessons midway through upon finding it took time away from her actually getting out and speaking the language. I was taking it easy and not doing much my first few days in Melbourne and taking in the author's perspective made me feel like this was actually okay.Then things started to go wrong again--my computer broke, I was stressed about money in pricey Australia and constantly worried about arranging the next place I was going to stay. My newfound zen perspective suddenly went right out the window. Of course there were still many good moments--dressing up on Halloween, going out sailing, working on the vineyard. And I started to get excited again about my upcoming plans just by watching Nat Geo Adventure at Lachlan and Dan's house. And episode of "Anthony Bourdain" actually made sad I'd already come and gone from Bangkok. By the time I got to the vineyard in Orange I was in a much better place again, having settled on a plan for the rest of my time in Australia that saved me money and allowed me to relax a bit in the beautiful countryside in spite of the five hours of daily farm work. Meeting up with Becky back in Sydney was also a nice sense of home that made me feel like I'm not always all alone by myself out there on the road.
I realize it seems quite selfish and petty of me to be complaining about this amazing opportunity I have, but there's just no denying that it's not all sunshine and roses (see second paragraph... haha) all the time. I know I'm still putting a lot of pressure on myself to make the most of every day and not waste a single second, but it's really hard to maintain that intensity and be "on" all the time. I know it sounds totally silly since I don't have a job, but unlike people with jobs I don't feel like I ever have a "weekend" off. I spend nearly every day either sightseeing, making travel arrangements/dealing with logistics back home or in transit. Sometimes it's a little bit of all three. As I continue on through these next eight months, one of my goals is to give myself more breaks every now and then and actually be okay with it instead of laying the guilt on myself. We'll see how that goes!
The closest I came to what you are doing was to live and work in Amsterdam Holland for one summer. I have to admit that while I did visit the Rijksmuseum, Ann Franks house, etc., I also spent enough time there to not feel I had to "see" something everyday. I spent a lot of time "just smelling the roses" (or maybe it was the tulips?). I hope that you also take time to just soak up the culture and relax - take some days off.
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