This Summer [4/4]: Closing Thoughts

Unlocked many of my firsts this summer ☺️ - Flying by myself, attending summer school, staying with my friends, solo travelling, carpooling, doing workaway etc.

I still rmb I was looking for reasons to feel excited about Canada because I was feeling tired from all the administrative things I had to settle and plan for and Canada wasn't a country I have ever thought of visiting. But!!! I'm now a changed person.

Much gratitude for all of the safe journey wishes I have collected; my trip was a smooth-sailing one :) Here's giving thanks to everyone and everything I met & had in this entire journey (pre & during & post-trip)

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I did a mini NGL on IG on my way back to gather anon questions and used it to consolidate my thoughts. Here are my revelations & some closing thoughts:

Trust

My trust in humans usually begins at the 100% mark before I revise it (probably not a wise mentality). I rely mainly on my intuition & social energy when forming new connections :) A question on NGL was about how I decided to visit (& stay with Myriam) when she was just a fellow passenger on the plane from NRT>>>YVR whom I sat with. Our interaction started perhaps when I offered my plane bread (I knew I couldn't finish it and didn't want to waste it), and then we just started chatting, playing inflight games and watching RuPaul together. From her sharing and the way she expresses herself, Myriam radiated a very pleasant and genuine vibe! I felt very comfortable around her :) As I have mentioned, if anything, it would be me asking her why she trusted me so much to let me into her personal space so spontaneously! It was truly my honor. To quote Myriam xD: "Cause you're simply awesome yourself!" :))) Hahaha #shamelessIsMe I can't wait to show Myriam around if she visits Singapore ^_^

Another instance of me having wild trust in humans was to do carpooling to Montreal and back to Quebec City. That was 261 km or around 3 hours per trip, with 4-6 strangers. Being the only female + Asian + non French-speaking passenger - I presume - I was lowkey worried if they had issue against Asians HAHA. Hence, as a safety measure I forwarded my live location to my sis every 30 mins. I saw it as a placebo but at least people will know my last location if I ever get kidnapped right? XD I learned about carpooling from the farm I connected with, and felt that the other ways of commute had T&Cs that were too rigid. So that was me opting for the more flexible & cheaper & local transport #yolo Was super fortunate that I manage to get onto the rides actually, if not I will be stranded at the waitpoints with my barang barangs.

Working for accommodation

This is sth I have been wanting to do for a long time after learning about working holidays. I was researching ways to travel like a local + on a budget (broke child self-sponsoring the whole trip here) and found platforms like Couchsurfing & WWOOF. I immediately became attracted by WWOOF's concept (organic farming & sustainable living lifestyle)! (Also, the Asian in me was a bit paiseh to intrude places for free ah like Couchsurf.) Instead of the classic superficial touristy experience, I thought it would be meaningful to experience the local lifestyle since I'm all by myself! And, WWOOF is a paid platform for travellers and hosts that allows us to better understand and connect with each other. Maybe that was why I felt safe to connect with Julie because she was a contact given to me by one of the farms! Super grateful :)

Self-discovery

Apart from appreciating the simplest things in life, I also discovered a lot about myself. I realized that while I am incredibly comfortable spending time with myself / basking in solitude, I can be comfortable initiating connections with new people too.

As a traveller, I...

prefer self-exploration over organized tours (unless for accessibility)
enjoy connecting with the locals & experiencing their cultures
am happy to find warm/Asian food HEHE #comfortYumz :9
love to marvel at beautiful nature places
feel happy and driven to take care of myself (cooking, resting well etc.)
am a slave to GPS (#heilTechnology :D)
don't mind long haul/indirect flights to save $$$ > Can become physically draining but emotionally wise I can entertain myself really well
don't think I will appreciate winters > I'm still a tropical animal
do 40% planning & 60% spontaneity

My 40% looks like this:

Shortlist interesting places (& research on ticketing/ admission details/ transportation options) > So I know what I want to look forward to + wouldn't waste time doing hasty research there
Research on safety & travelling tips
Group places into different days according to location/travelling convenience > I use GoogleMyMaps, it's very helpful!
Book accommodation & large ticket transport options (e.g., flights, impt shuttle buses) > Things with unpredictable demand & limited supply

My 60% looks like this:

Deciding on what I want to do by the day > listening to my body!
Adding / removing things I (don't) feel like doing > Free & easy exploration
Blindly trusting Google Maps & GPS xD

^^^Now that I typed them out: idk if that's actually planning>spontaneity HAHA but wellys I will leave it that way because it still felt like a '<'

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Something I'm still unsure of was the reason behind my lack of homesickness though :3 I wonder if that reflects my adaptability? Or does that mean I still feel connected with my family & friends through social media/messaging applications? Or did the sense of novelty overwrite the desire to reconnect with the life & people I left behind? Or was it because the trip was too smooth-sailing & comfortable? This is definitely something I plan to continue to explore,,, perhaps on my next solo trip? hehe x)

Had a lot of photoshoots, and used Tiktok to document a huge part of my journey

Also,,,, developed my first travel bucket list x)