Leaving the seemingly comforting idleness of my parents' house (and my home country) after a short visit was both exciting and terrifying. I felt the same warm rush of energy go through me as I always do when I embark on a new journey. Every time I jump head first to a new adventure there are still butterflies in my stomach although I've been traveling "professionally" for almost six years now. It's a sensation that's both wonderful and scary!
En route to Japan my mind was jumping all over the place. On one hand the experienced world traveler in me was relaxed, confident and had a strong knowledge that things will always work out. On the other hand I was a bundle of nerves, questioning my irrational jump to the unknown - yet again - and my biggest worry was hammering at the back of my head over and over again: what if I won't find a job in Japan after all?
A friend of mine who has also spent many of her years traveling and living abroad once told me that she keeps getting herself into situations that are challenging, nerve-wracking and out of her comfort zone. And that she absolutely loves it! For if not for those sensations of butterflies fluttering inside you, the "putting yourself out there" thrust and then the amazing rush afterwards, what is there to live for? What she said made me think about my life style in a new light. After pondering about things a bit I realized that those extreme sensations were exactly what kept me going, too: the thrill is addictive.
Throughout these years of traveling I've been in many situations that have been out of my comfort zone and those have been the situations that have forced me to grow as a person. Let's be honest: when everything is going smoothly and as planned, there is no thrill nor are you challenged to better yourself in any way. But a lot of "personality nonsense" such as excess vanity, self delusions and pride gets stripped away when you step out of your comfort zone over and over and over again. In a way you could say that stepping outside your comfort zone becomes less uncomfortable.
This time around arriving in Japan wasn't as big a step to the unknown as it could've been as I was lucky to have a friend here, a beacon of comfort that has certainly made me feel like home in a very short time. Unlike other countries before where I have traveled to in search of a new beginning, now I have been lucky to have a person to lean on. It has really made a difference this time and though I definitely still know I've taken a step out of my comfort zone I am completely enjoying the ride that I'm on. How's that for a paradox!
For now I have no idea what's in store for me in Japan - and I'm enjoying the uncertainty.
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