The differences in my traveling patterns from month to month has been nothing but utterly ambiguous since the beginning of 2019. I went from starting 2019 only being out of the country for a few hours during day trips for cruises to ending the year with 5 months of living abroad. I’m an international business major, and prior to my Portugal/Morocco/Spain trip, I had never truly experienced the world. I know, it sounds ridiculous that I would choose this major without actually knowing what it’s like being in other countries, but I always knew that there was this desire to get out of what I knew and was comfortable with, to see the world first-hand, not just through a textbook. My Great Papa would always tell stories of traveling the world, working for Salvador Dali, learning over five languages, and meeting people from all different walks of life. Harry Bach, my great papa, is one of my biggest role models and I always wanted to follow in his footsteps of becoming a world traveler and global citizen.
Before January 2nd, I had no idea what to expect for the trip. I was nervous, excited, eager, and tense about the three-week-long course I was about to take. I’ve never been out of the country before, let alone traveled without my parents, and I went into the trip only *barely* knowing one other girl. One of the main goals I had for myself for the journey was to force myself to step outside of my comfort zone and let myself be uncomfortable. All in all, by the time we landed back in Newark at the end of January, I feel that I did precisely that, and I couldn’t be more proud of myself.
My life has taken many unexpected changes throughout 2019, but with each speedbump, I learned how to overcome my challenges. At the end of the year, I sat alone and reflected on each of the different people I had met over just a short 12 months, while traveling throughout 11 countries. Each person had come from a different walk of life, whether it was our “photographer/bodyguard” in Morocco, the most gracious Airbnb host in Milan, or even one of the most fashionable and exciting club promoters from London.
With all of this being said, my excitement for adventure and traveling has gotten me in a situation where many could not even imagine ever being in. On March 13th, 2020, my boyfriend and I traveled to Quito, Ecuador, his home country, to visit his family. What was supposed to be an adventurous one-week exploration throughout one of South America’s most beautiful countries has turned into an indefinite self-isolation in the beautiful city of Quito, without seeing much outside of his home. 2019 was a year of nonstop fun, endless adventure, and above all, opening my eyes to different world perspectives. So far, 2020 has become a year of reflection, reflection on not just my travels over the past year, but also on my life up to this point. As each day passes, the reality of becoming a “real” adult becomes more apparent. After spending a little over a month in self-isolation, my mind has been filled with memories of past experiences, friends, jobs, and everything in between. Although I haven’t posted on my website in about six months, I have decided to go all-in, transferring the energy I’ve been spending watching TikTok five hours a day to return to one of the passions that has been around my entire life: writing. I can’t wait to relive the memories as I write about my adventures throughout 2019 and I hope you will be along on this ride.
We won’t be in this situation forever. Everything in life is temporary and is important to not lose hope, especially in times like this.
-Claire Bach
