Travel

"You often feel confident in places where you are a stranger where no one knows you".

Well, I couldn't agree more. I guess that is the main reason I love travelling. No people pleasing, no judging and most importantly no expectations to be met. It does feel empowering and liberating. I feel like I can do whatever with whoever I want. I guess that's the beauty of escapism in my sense of understanding. Years ago, people see me being all happy travelling, little did they know I was really really struggling mentally back then. Hence, why I started travelling with friends, as my coping mechanism. Somehow, it gets addictive over time hehe. But that isn't the main purpose of this write up. 

I guess meeting new people, getting new experiences, learning something new have helped me to view life as an infinite. For what you feel like you have some big major problems in life, they are actually small, just tiny bumps in your way. Different countries, different cultures hence, different ways of lives. There is an endless possibilities and path in life to be ventured on. 

I went to Korea and my perspective changed on single-use-plastic campaign. From a biology background, sustainability or Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) had always been seen from my point of view, but I'd forgotten the economical side of it. Truth to be told, we are in a chain of supplies, companies introduce new things that are profitable for them and produce stuffs that are cost-effective. Hence, it was not an easy thing to accomplish as easy as it sounded. Stakeholders from different expertise needed to discuss pros and cons of everything for SDG to work. From this, I learnt that in every decision made at a higher level, there will always be 'loss and gain'. But the most important part would be which one outweighed the other. It fed me with new perspectives on decision-making at a bigger level, which became so challenging because many things need to be considered. To correlate for example, my current research is about gene editing. As a researcher, our aim is just to improve treatment strategies for patients. But on a higher level, the stakeholders must discuss on the wide ranging factors such as its ethical aspects, clinical aspects, laws and regulations to be implemented to avoid any formidable outcomes coming in the future. Also, I respected the way that Koreans preserve their culture whereby tourists get to experience them first-hand. Or the fact that, people in rural areas cannot understand English, so communication barrier became such a big hurdle. 

Not to mention, i rode a human-made gondola across a hell big wave in Indonesia without any insurance or a complete safety equipment. One time, me and my friends spent the night in a camping site in Sabah with no one around and it was pitch black. Literally if something bad were to happen, there was no way we could ask for help or anything. Or the time when we drove for 5 hours to experience magnificent sunsets when there was literally no car and no phone signal on the road. I think that is the beauty of travelling, you just beat the odds. Adrenaline's pumping high and you just brace through it because well, you only live once! In a strange place, you became oddly braver than usual. 

and then there was nothing like Kashmir, beautiful landscapes that made you became more grateful for His mesmerizing creations. One day you were under the scorching hot sun close to 40℃ in Malaysia and the next day you were on some snowy unfamiliar mountains with temperature of 1℃, completely underlayered and freezing. But people there were quite aggressive, and there were too many men hahaha. So I would highly suggest to travel in groups, unless you were already familiar with the place. Or else, you might be more prone to scam and overcharging. 

It might be the accent? I think Indonesians are very gentle with words, I am not sure the word itself or the way they spoke. I kinda found them very soothing and comforting. There was something about their language that made it special. And even Sabahan! When I was in Sabah, I talked with a lot of people, from varying ages, from youngest to the oldest. My best friend said that I am high likely to fall in love while travelling, and I couldn't agree more! There is like a fleeting moment between two strangers, putting aside their reality behind and just be present in the moment, enjoying life adventures. 

whilst some people i just came across randomly or someone being kind to me. Like on the flight back from Yogyakarta where i met this (which I later found out) professor from UAE specializing in Islamic teaching with some academic relation to Professor Syed Naquib al Attas! So we were just talking throughout the 2 hours flight and I got to know some surprising facts about Muslims in different countries. (keyword: red wine)

There was also one time on another flight, I was literally sitting in the middle of a pool of men on the flight, and I almost passed out due to the strong body odour. A stewardess came to me and asking if i am okay and if i want to change seat because i looked very uncomfortable. I was touched. 

Or when I met this Indian family on AirIndia flight, where I was having this conversation with this grandfather who were asking me on Malaysia and Singapore's potential for his grandchild to further his study in (which I later found out that his daughter that was sitting in front of me is a fellow physician for IVF consultant in Singapore). I was in awe as the grandfather was really into the grandchild's education and something he said profoundly to me was "Its the parents job to provide everything for their children, because they are the adults here", hence why he was asking me about the prospect for the grandchild's universities' choices, particularly in economics. And the question that I particularly remembered was, "Does the women in Malaysia marrying late as well?". My natural feminist instincts were kicking in, and we both had very valuable insights, respectively. As he was the typical older generation that prioritized early marriage in women. I think we both respected each other's opinion and it made me kinda jealous like his grandchildren were so lucky to have him. 

Overall, travelling definitely played a part in me navigating life as a better human being. To see the world through my lens, assessing and reflecting them back into my life. 

and I never planned on stopping, hopefully. Maybe with a life partner, one day? Fingers crossed xoxo 🙈