Clearly my life is for now a book full of different episodes. Even if it’s been just over 30 years with (hopefully) many more to come.
A first part would be defined but those childhood years spent in the shelter of my family and friends. Over one half of my life that provided me with good morals, education and perspective of how life can be.
A second part would clearly be when I left home to pursue my university studies. Surely this taught me how to be an independent person, but not an adult yet. But it was the beginning of having to find solution to problems on my own. But always in the comfort of home proximity and surrounded by your people. Most of this happened within Spain, with small touches of time abroad. And the latter triggered how the next phase would happen.
Then, a big growing time came, deciding to do my PhD education abroad. From Spain to settling in The Netherlands. Here, you leave the comfort of your language, circle of people, and habits and culture that you are used to. And not anymore for a short period of time, but what feels like for the rest of the time that you’ll be alive. And maybe that feeling was not so far from reality. You need to learn a new way of living. Become fully independent. Create fully new circle of friends. Even changing who you are. But once this occurred, it would define the next steps to come.
After this, there was a attempt to continue life in the established carrier you studied for. Moving to the UK, for a position as Postdoctoral Researcher. But after some time, it didn’t feel right. Something was missing. Like the personal growth was stuck; and even the professional one. And this comfortable discomfort was which made me quit and start over. Start that phase the helped me grow the most.
A hard decision. Surely the hardest ever in my life, made me take what I had. All that I considered that I would need. Put it all in a backpack. And start the phase that really is what the post is about. I started to travel Solo the world with a one-way ticket; without knowing when or how the return would be. Or even if there would be at all. Traveling around the world on my own was that which made me grow the most. Sometimes so alone that i had to learn much about how to deal with things myself. Sometimes surrounded by awesome people I met, and others by people that didn’t make you feel right at all. And you learn much from both. Going through experiences that I would have never imagined. And others that I always wanted to do, but i didn’t imagined what exactly it was. But after all, this post is just about explain WHAT the experience was that made me grow the most. The exact HOW will come later on….in another post at Travel Stories. Don’t miss it ;D.
Wonderer Cosmos 
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