How do you measure an experience like this!?

Hello!

So it seems my 7 months of travelling have come to an end. In many ways, It’s quite saddening but I’ve been preparing myself for this point all along. Every place I’ve visited, I’ve reminded myself that this moment is likely to pass in a flash and the best I can do is make the most of my experiences and live this life to its fullest.

Along my travels, many of the people I met have asked me the standard question. ‘What made you decide to travel?’ At first I gave a response which I thought to be true – ‘I wanted to do a number of things in a number of different places and felt I deserved a gap year!’ At some stage I questioned this...and the real reason revealed itself. I decided to travel because I was in search of something and when people asked ‘what?’ – I told them ‘I’m not sure.’ I’m still not certain as to what I’ve been searching for but I’ve found a lot and much of it has been in myself.

I feel more fulfilled than I ever thought possible and I don’t think I’d feel this way without having visited each of the places I went to and having met each of the people I had the pleasure of coming into contact with. I found adventure in learning what my body and mind are capable of withstanding. I found power in knowledge of other cultures and human nature. I found purpose in influencing the lives of others. I found friendship in the form of people that I would never have otherwise come into contact with. I found love in it’s purest form. I found clarity in myself and my character.

I now return home with all the inevitabilities that I always knew: Many of which I’m quite excited about. I get to see my family after being away for the longest time ever. I begin my real training programme for the 2011 London Marathon. I will begin looking for work, having already set up a couple of interviews for freelance facilitation and sports coaching jobs. However, I also return home with a whole set of new prospects that I hadn’t banked on. I have a set of new friends from around the world to keep in contact with. I have a girlfriend who makes me very happy. I have the prospect of returning to America to work for 4 months this summer. I have an idea of what I hope to look for on a professional level from September onwards. Finally, I have self assurance of the person I hope to be from 2011 onwards.

I’ve found writing a blog to be really fulfilling. Not necessarily knowing that anyone was even reading it but having an outlet to articulate my thoughts and emotions through. I think this is something I’ll continue updating. Perhaps not as often as I have over the last 7-months but I plan on continuing to live a life that excites and challenges me and the hope is that it will continue to make for good reading. Coming up I have a trip with my father to Turkey, where we hope to uncover some of the Aboudara family history. Not long after, I have the London Marathon. Soon after that, I’ll be leaving for America again. I’m sure there will be plenty else that will crop over the next few months and I’ll look forward to writing about it at as and when it comes about.

Much love always!

Sam