New Year: New You

If you think you can't travel the world during the holidays and have a great time with great people you would be wrong!

Coming to Peru alone was a big step for me and I really didn't know what to expect.  I didn't think I would meet any friends and certainly never thought I would have this much fun.  For me, New Years is really important as its a time to celebrate an amazing year and to embrace a new year to come.  It allows me an opportunity to reflect on my goals and my life and determine what changes I would like to make in the new year.  It's also important for me to be dancing, enjoying some cocktails and spending time with friends.  I was able to do all these things right here in Lima, Peru.  It gave me a new outlook on who I am as a person and who I can become but more importantly what I am capable of. 

I found the thing I said I was looking for despite not knowing what it was

I had not quite figured out why I was on this trip when I first booked it or even after being here for several weeks but now I get it.  I mean maybe I knew it all along but I still wanted my aha moment.  

My entire life I have always pushed myself to do more and be more because I am always in competition with myself.  I don't expect that to ever change and for now, at least, its a benefit to my life.  I know there are deep rooted reasons why I do it but what is important is that it continues to enhance my life and make me step further and further outside my comfort zone to become the woman I want to be.  I am not her yet but I know I am on my way.  In the meantime, I needed to know I could come to a foreign country, not know anyone and not only survive (surviving is a major plus!) but meet friends and become part of the community and not just a tourist.  I didn't just want to see Peru, I wanted to become part of Peru.  

I have started to learn my way around and how to get to places I want to go.  I have new friends that I can call and go out with, have lunch with and talk to. I also feel comfortable in my surroundings as if I belong despite the occasional stares from passerby's and the clear language barrier.  I am starting to really love living here.

New Years was the icing on the cake.  I confirmed that I can live anywhere and not just be content or okay but be happy.  You don't need people around you to be happy but when people want to be around you it's a good feeling.  We danced and drank and danced some more.  I spoke to new friends who don't speak English and they taught me how to dance to songs I have never heard of.  It was a truly great night.

If I can do it, you can too.  New Year: New You.  We are all one on this Earth to love and connect and share with one another.  We do not have to look the same or have the same religion or even speak the same language to learn to love each other.  When you realize that you become one with something so much bigger than yourself.  Check out my New Years photos below.  I hope your New Year was full of family, friends and lots of love, like mine was.

         

As you can see from my photos from New Years, I meet some amazing people and had an amazing time.  I have talked to many people who say I am crazy for traveling the world alone but with over 7 billion people in this world I am never alone!  Happy New Year!!!

                                                 

                                                                                                                 

  

The Sights, Sounds, and Smells of Peru

Waking up the first morning in Peru after a long flight felt so good.  I finally made it.  The hustle and bustle of the city all around me gave me a new sense of accomplishment.  I have never jumped on a plane with a one way ticket to another country to live for a few months before.  I mean, who does that?  But I feel like there is this one life we get (I'm pretty sure of it) and we have to live our dreams and have the life we always wanted because one day it will be gone.  And so I live like there is no tomorrow but am still responsible like I will live forever (and need to keep paying these bills).  There must always be a balance.

So, the first morning was great and all was well in my cute little city apartment but stepping outside those doors was not as easy.  Coming to a country that speaks Spanish when you can barely count to 10 in Espanol may have been poor planning on my part but certainly adds to the adventure.  The first day walking around and getting to learn my surroundings was both awe inspiring and scary.  Simple things like buying bottled water proved challenging because not only did I not know how to say bottled, I didn't know how to say what size bottled water I wanted and once we did figure all that out I didn't know how to pay the correct amount of money for the item.  It proved very frustrating for me but I got through it.  Then there was the taxi ride to the bank and the grocery store. Talk about serious stress.  Trying to explain where you need to go to someone who doesn't understand you at all is a major challenge.  That first day out was so draining both emotionally and mentally that I spent the rest of the evening in the apartment once I finally found my way back.

Once I realized that 99% of the people I would encounter on a regular basis spoke no English it was time for me to take action.  A friend gave me a great link to a free online site to learn Spanish and I enrolled in private lessons that begin on Monday. I never thought I would learn a language since I have the worst memory ever but its vital for my success here and so I push myself beyond my comfort zone knowing that anything for me is possible.

Traveling alone is not for the faint of heart but definitely worth it for anyone who wants to step outside their box (for some literally their cubicle box) and lead a different life.  I will say the people here are very friendly and everyone is patient with me and willing to help me along the way however they can.  Many people here own their own bodega's or shops and support each other's businesses by buying the things they need from each other.  Its a community of oneness here that is refreshing from what I have noticed in the States.


There are a few things I learned that you may want to know when coming to Lima, Peru:

• You may be the only person from your Country when you come here

• Its more complicated to find someone to speak English than you think

• They will run you over so don't take your sweet ole time crossing the street

• Every time you get into a cab you will think that you may just die

• Lima is a big city with lots of people so expect it to be constantly busy

Ultimately have fun, take it one day at a time and slowly but surely you will make your way in Lima, Peru!  I know I will!!