I’m not all that good at expressing myself sometimes, so when mum asked to write a post for her blog about my experience in Japan i agreed but I wasn’t too sure I could do it.  I admit i got a bit overwhelmed and anxious about what i was going to write. I suppose i could’ve have written a brief itinerary of the places and temples i visited but that seemed like such a lazy cop out (and lets face it, BORING).

Mum’s blog has been so amazing I wanted it to be worthy to be included but as someone who does better at small Facebook updates i found it challenging. But hey, I’m up for the challenge, after all i managed to walk about 700km of a 1000km pilgrimage in a foreign country where I couldn’t understand what anyone was saying or read the signs! And i walked half of those 700km by myself. If i can do that  I can do anything, even write this post.

I love traveling. Why? Because it inspires me to be more confident in myself. I loved that feeling of “you’ve got this Liz” when i would puff and sweat up the steep rocky mountains. It  was still with me on the day i got horribly lost and ended up sleeping on my mat on the steps of a temple because i didn’t get there until 7pm. It’s what kept me from getting discouraged when i got lost again (and again and again) throughout the rest of the trip. That self confidence gave me the courage to poke my head into a random doorway along the streets on my first day where i met the guy who took me to the first temple, helped me buy my pilgrimage gear and showed me how to pray at the shrines. I used it to approach complete strangers if i needed help with something. And it turns out they were always willing to help a gaijin in need. It’s what let me stay calm when a snake would appear out of nowhere.

Just getting out of my comfort zone and trying new things and having them work out is such great feeling. Traveling makes me feel good about myself and i love it.