Independent Travel (Prompt 13)

Prompt:

Surprise by Ashley Ambirge

I will not hide my tastes or aversions. I will trust so that what is deep is holy, if we follow the truth, it will bring us out safe at last. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Think of a time when you didn't think you were capable of doing something, but then surprised yourself. How will you surprise yourself this week?

Response:

Right now I don't think I am capable of surviving yet another delay in my flight home to Minnesota for the summer, but that is another blog post all together. What is something I didn't think I was capable of doing?

Traveling independently.

I mean, I still haven't done a lot of it. And it still makes me nervous to fly alone, take the bus alone, go out on my own in a new city, etc. However, I am getting better at it. Two years ago I took a nine hour bus ride to Pasto, Colombia by myself. Initially, I thought the bus ride would take forever and I would just be nervous the whole time that it wouldn't work out. However, I went to the bus station, got my ticket, got on the bus, chatted with my seat mate and arrived in Pasto at the end of the day. While getting on a bus doesn't seem overwhelmingly difficult, and really it wasn't, the idea of doing it completely alone was initially a little bit daunting. You have no one to turn to for advice if something goes wrong. No one is there to watch your stuff while you go to the bathroom. You have to awkwardly bring all luggage with you in the bathroom stall. You end up chatting up complete strangers while you both sit on the cold, hard ground of Chicago O'Hare Terminal E in attempt to use one of what appears to be the only set of outlets in the entire airport. (Anyone?) Basically you are just on your own - sink or swim.

With that experience under my belt I feel much more at ease traveling by myself or venturing out into new cities on my own to check things out and explore. However, I still prefer to travel with friends so feel free to visit. Let's be honest, I am still a long ways off (maybe never?) from wanting to go on a whole trip by myself.