Opening2Life

I'm back in Kathmandu. I arrived 2 days ago after a crazy 18-hour bus trip which took 6 hours longer than expected due to road construction. It was long, bumpy, and exhausting. But I made it. I'm now taking a few days to relax after an intense couple of weeks and before starting my next volunteering experience, which begins tomorrow. Since my last update, I visited Bandipur, Chitwan, and Lumbini. Bandipur is a charming little village. I spent some time exploring the area and even did a half-day excursion to an even smaller and cuter village in the middle of nowhere. To my surprise, I ran into a few volunteer colleagues from my last school volunteering project while walking through Bandipur. We spent some time together - it's always nice to cross paths with people you like and didn't expect to see again. Chitwan is known for its national park, which is why I went there. But even outside the park, you see animals everywhere. I often saw domesticated elephants walking alon...

It's very clear to me what the purpose of this journey is, but sometimes my mind has doubts. I've listened to what my mind has been telling me for most of my life, which kept me in my comfort zone for many years. And even though it's important to think about life and how we can improve it, if we just listen to the mind, we probably won't make any changes - especially the big ones - because we'll be afraid of what could go wrong. The mind often focuses too much on potential future problems, and it works this way to protect us from suffering. So, why am I certain I've made the right decision? Because this time, I took a leap of faith by listening to my heart and gut. I just felt deeply I had to embark on this journey. Still, my mind sometimes acts as a force of resistance, bringing up all the fears associated with change. Even though I'm certain about the importance of having left my comfort zone, on a big trip like this there will always be moments when I don...