It's true what they say about travel broadening your horizons. It doesn't matter if it is three hours from home or a long haul international flight, there will always be something you will learn, about the place you are in, about a different culture and about yourself.
A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to spend a couple of weeks in Japan with my beloved. We knew at the outset that it would be an adventure, but what an adventure it was! Not only do I now know how to make chopsticks work enough to not starve and how to say thank you in Japanese, I learnt so much about myself along the way.
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| Fushimi Iari-taisha |
There are always surprises and unexpected things around the corner. Sometimes you do not find what you were looking for but you might find something else amazing.
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| Ryozen Kannon |
If you can master the public transport system and cope with being a little lost occasionally, the world is your oyster, or mackerel or prawn. There is a lot of fish on the menu in Japan!
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| Imperial Gardens, Kyoto |
Local knowledge is invaluable. Things are not always what they seem but this does not always diminish their beauty.
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| Suirokaku Aqueduct, Nanzen-ji |
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| Sanmon Gate |
Some things are worth getting out of bed early for.
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| Arashiyama Bamboo Forest |
There will be new friends to be made along the way and despite planning, the things you stumble on may end up being some of your favourite moments.
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| Otagi Nenbutsu-ji |
Try new things and always know that even if you don't enjoy it, it might still make a pretty picture!
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| Nishiki Markets |
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| Gion |
Enjoy and embrace all the things that make your destination different from home.
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| Hiroshima |
Go with the flow...
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| Shibuya, Tokyo |
Many things about Japan were well and truly out of my comfort zone...and I enjoyed that!
I tried to speak the language, ate different things, remembered that free wi-fi and google maps are every traveller's best friend, packed an even smaller bag than last time, lost my bags (momentarily and on the way home, thank goodness), enjoyed the uninterrupted company of my beloved for the first time in a long time, got lost, found things I was not expecting and took so, so many photos.
Every time I travel I long to see more. I become braver and my wish list contains more and more destinations I would not have considered before. I want to try new things while I have a new and stronger appreciation of what I have at home. I have had long and monotonous travel time to ponder on what is really important to me, what I am passionate about and how I will prioritise these things.
So while the dramas and workload of Term 4 that is familiar to all teachers encompasses my days, I dream of the next destination...and the one after that and the one after that!
Kate xx
