my last day in asia

I blinked, and five months flew by. And yet, my first morning in Bangkok - when I sat silently freaking out in a Starbucks - feels like a millennium ago. It's the classic paradox of time.

As I sipped my overpriced coffee that morning, I wrote in my journal: "You are feeling weak because you're super overwhelmed and that's okay. You need to be uncomfortable to grow. It's going to be okay."

My words from May 31, 2018 were right. I was uncomfortable. I got sick, robbed, injured and infected. I slept with ants in my bed and rats roaming my bags. I took 15-hour bus rides and spent days dragging myself from bus to ferry to flight to bus. I struggled with language barriers and sketchy scammers and a lot of times had no idea what the f*ck was going on.

From discomfort, I grew. I found home in hectic cities and quiet villages. I listened to locals and travelers as they told me their life stories, as I learned from what I'd never experienced and we bonded over what we shared. I discovered horrors inflicted by my country (that we skipped in history class) and am humbled by human resilience after unbelievable suffering. I've gotten so much better at being alone - and when I started feeling too alone, learned how to find a family in new friends. And with that, I've gotten better at saying goodbyes.

So just as I wrote five months ago, it's all ended up okay. More than okay. Magical, inspiring, so incredible that my heart tugs at leaving today. These memories in Southeast Asia are tucked up neatly for me to smile back on. Now, it's time for Australia.