I started out this journey with no expectations whatsoever. One month into it, I had already exceeded some which I didn’t even think I had. Before I left, I knew one thing and one thing only. This would be my time. And in being on my own, I found myself using that time to improve myself.

• • Reading: In one month, I managed to read four books. Now I know this might sound like it’s no big deal, but, in a regular year, the total sum of books I’d usually read would amount to a big, fat zero. Back home, I’d try and read a bit at the end of my day whilst curling up in bed, and, given that it’s usually after a long day of work, I’d end up dozing off before finishing even one page. Not to mention, if I’d have time to read, it would usually be dedicated to medical textbooks in order to prepare for my exams!

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  • Writing: I also managed to keep up with my writing. I wanted to remember every single detail. For that, I had two things I’d use to my advantage. Photos and writing – definitely not this crappy brain of mine. These words are but a permanent record of all my experiences; from the adventures I’d live, to the people I’d meet along the way, from the emotions I’d feel to the food I’d taste. I also wanted to make some money off it. I wanted to publish some more articles, something I’d been doing for the past year, though I found myself too caught up in my journaling to do that. It would’ve been my only source of income, something I’d use to do even more stuff, but I could do that once I’d get back home. For the time being, I just wanted to make good use of my very limited time.

• • Language: During the five weeks I spent in Mexico I was speaking almost exclusively in Spanish all throughout, which explains why my Spanish had improved remarkably (if I may so myself). I went from using just the present tense to having a basic understanding of the past and the future tenses. I also expanded my vocabulary and corrected some grammatical mistakes I had been making for years on end! I was still nowhere near fluent enough though now I could already communicate effectively.

• • Drawing: Something I also started doing whilst I was in Mexico was drawing. I hadn’t drawn anything in ages. I felt like this would be the perfect time. I bought a tablet just for that reason. Like that, I’d be practicing a skill I never quite invested time on. I set myself the goal of drawing something that represents every single country at every stop. It didn’t have to be perfect, not even good – just something that’d remind me of the country and the places I’d visit. It would be this memento I’d keep forever, and having made it myself would make it all the more special.

And then there were the other little things. In just a little over a month I got to adapt to so many things that I didn’t even think about whilst I was in the throes of it all. Like going through an entire day with one cup of coffee instead of the usual twenty, like doing laundry with no stuff to do laundry with, like waterproofing myself in the midst of a torrential downpour, like being unable to share my wildest stories with anyone in real-time and having to write them down instead. Oh, and the struggle to untie the napkin that’s wrapped so tightly around cutlery or having to get used to every food item being corn-based or covered in salt, chilli and lime. 

Through it all, I had been elated, miserable, exhilarated, depressed, grateful, ungrateful, loved, lonely. I felt more alive than ever and I also felt like dying a couple of times. I went through highs and lows, though the highs by far outdid the lows.

• Distance:
• • • Total walked: 347km
    • Total travelled: 2537km

• Books:
• • • The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway

• • • The Motorcycle Diaries, Ernesto Che Guevara

• • • Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Hunter S. Thompson
    • The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry