It's been a month since I arrived back in the UK after my 3 month long journey around South America. Despite a major culture shock on my second night back thrust into the world of weddings, fancy hotels and strangers not willingly to answer your questions, Jade's wedding day was the perfect way to celebrate home time. My week at home with the parents was delightfully restful and gave me a chance to embark on a much-needed organisation of photos. The post-travel blues are in full-swing now I'm back in London, although I'm not sure they ever really leave you. I would say it's been a struggle settling back into normality but I'm not quite sure I know what normality actually means - so I'll just say my crazy freelance London life is feeling particularly unfulfilling at present.
After being so far from home and all familiarity you'd think returning to your old flat, a few of your old jobs and seeing old friends would at least feel comforting. But somehow I feel more isolated than I ever did on the road, I'm not sure I belong here anymore, no one really knows who I am or what I've seen. No fellow travellers to share your love of exploring with. People ask 'how was your trip?', an impossible question to answer when you know a few polite words is all they're after - not even a thousand words can truly describe all the experiences I had.
After 3 months following a clearly laid out route my life suddenly feels rather purposeless and meandering, no path to follow or destination to reach - just the unavoidable need to earn money to base my decisions on.
Distance is a funny concept - you can be only the other side of a wall from someone and feel as if they don't exist (my neighbours for example). But you can also feel like you know every little thing about someone half way across the world. Physical distance is now of course eclipsed by technology and so I felt closer to my parents whilst I was on another continent, through regular FaceTime conversations than I do residing in the same country.
After being so far from home and all familiarity you'd think returning to your old flat, a few of your old jobs and seeing old friends would at least feel comforting. But somehow I feel more isolated than I ever did on the road, I'm not sure I belong here anymore, no one really knows who I am or what I've seen. No fellow travellers to share your love of exploring with. People ask 'how was your trip?', an impossible question to answer when you know a few polite words is all they're after - not even a thousand words can truly describe all the experiences I had.
After 3 months following a clearly laid out route my life suddenly feels rather purposeless and meandering, no path to follow or destination to reach - just the unavoidable need to earn money to base my decisions on.
Distance is a funny concept - you can be only the other side of a wall from someone and feel as if they don't exist (my neighbours for example). But you can also feel like you know every little thing about someone half way across the world. Physical distance is now of course eclipsed by technology and so I felt closer to my parents whilst I was on another continent, through regular FaceTime conversations than I do residing in the same country.
