A bird, once spreading its wings, floats mostly by the wind rather than using their wings the entire time to flutter. It let’s go and knows that the wind is there.  The travels I have seen this year have made me feel like that winged creature. Leaving the comfortable nest I called Home to discover the world we live in. With the aim of getting to know who I truly am, the good, the grey and the grim.  Promising myself that I will look my fears in the eye and face them to become the strongest I can be. Without any plans, a few trousers and good faith that the wind will guide me, I stepped into that airplane. A girl on a sole mission to find what it truly means to love life and yourself. 6 months, courage and a small budget is all it takes. So I thought.

It was mid December 2016 that I packed my backpack and left.  Like Dorothy and Alice, I too dived into the unknown.  Thinking I know what life was like, because of all the books I had read. The heroines and characters all had taught me morals and different perspectives. This time it would be different. I would write my own story. Be the heroine rather than to just read it. A journey of self-discovery and new memories along the way. From mountains all over Europe, to cuisines I never heard before. It all made me realise how little I know. Most importantly how much I still get to explore and uncover.

In the land of scholars, I learned about the history of women that fought alongside men. Brave heroines with bright red hair that looked death straight in the eye, and smiled fiercely. Dublin was the country where I discovered Knowledge, Confidence and Silence. It was here where I realised that I had been doubting myself during my adolescent years. I needed the people around me to tell me I am a good person, rather than knowing it to be true. Instead of following my intuition I’ve been doubtful for a long period. There were situations where I needed to hear that what I did was good enough, rather than having faith in myself. What helped me improve this were the people I met during my stay in Ireland. It was the crazy crowd of regulars in Fibber Magee’s that showed me, life is too short to be doubtful.  Every game of pool that was played in this alternative late rock bar showed that thinking it through for long, does not help anyone. Rather to be confident and believing in your abilities will take you further down the road you aim to conquer. In times that you lose or fail, like we all do once in a while, at least you know that you did it solely on your own abilities and strategy. Like a friend told me once, Fail, means First Attempt in Learning. Luckily we never stop at that.

With good friends we grow. Like a seed in a fertile soil, friendship is a connection that helps everyone bloom with a little bit of effort, of course. That reminds me of how I met my friend Attia. It was in Fibbers where I asked him about his personality. ‘Sometimes you just need to listen, Gigi’ : he answered meanwhile still concentrating on the pool game, like a wise sensei would do in an old kung fu movie. During my stay in Dublin, I had not once seen him lie or show off his abilities. Calm and peaceful he stood beside his friends and watched a match played on the telly or a game of pool. I figured out that in the times I listen, there is new information handed to me. Rather than to speak and teach, like I was used to, I learned from Attia to observe. This skill is the secret ingredient to becoming a teacher that inspires students. The ones that listen more than speak.

I will always be thankful for the people I got to know on the emerald isle.

Find out more on what I learned in Scotland in the next blog of G’s McTravels.