My Plane Almost Left Me In the Netherlands - And The 6 Ways Travel Has Changed Me For Good

So, there I was still reeling from my two-month trip in the Netherlands. A mixture of gratitude, excitement, anxiety, fatigue, and relief. Two months had flown by so fast, even as I write this, I STILL cannot believe I was abroad for two whole months.

My last day in NL, before flying back home :).

Here's today's verse;

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 2nd Corinthians 5:17

Anyway, good things come to an end, and it was time to go home. We made our way to the airport, and as I broke down in my past post, 'Going For Your First Flight? Here's Everything You Need to Know for a Smooth Takeoff + My Experience', I recalled the steps I had to follow when taking a departure flight.

Schiphol Airport is a BIG airport, but there's no way you can get lost. There are signs everywhere, and airport staff are more than willing to help.

Anyway, I got to my airline's desk to check in my checked luggage, aka the suitcases that go into the plane's cargo hold, and as I measured my 2nd suitcase, it was 2kgs overweight.

When this happens, either you'll have to pay extra for luggage, which is very expensive, or you'll be allowed to transfer some items to the lighter suitcase, or your carry-on bag.

Lucky me, I was shown a corner where I could transfer those items to my carry-on. I had to transfer some clothes and a pair of shoes to my carry-on, and even wear one of my blazers. Thank God my suitcase finally met the weight criterion, and off it went.

Due to this commotion, I forgot my gate number! (Your gate is the hall where you'll wait to board your plane). But, like I said, with all the signs and friendly airport staff, there's no way of getting lost. I eventually found my gate, but after sitting down, I sensed something was off.

The boarding time was fast approaching, and I thought to myself, 'Sioni Wakenya.' English: 'I don't see any Kenyans.' Since the flight was going to Kenya, surely I'd see a good number of Kenyans. I checked the board again, and they had changed the gate number again, this being the second or third time. Keep in mind, it was already boarding time.

So, I rushed to the correct boarding gate, and yes, I finally saw Kenyans. The passengers had already started queuing to board the flight, and I was just in time, and I made it.🛬

Anyway, the story was to capture your attention.😊

In this blog post, I'd like to share with you the six ways I believe travel has changed me. I hope it will be a source of inspiration for you. For those who dream of travelling in the future, or if you're thinking of taking the leap on something that seems impossible. I hope these lessons will inspire you.

1. Travel teaches you to be adaptable

   When travelling, the best laid plans may fail to materialize. From plane delays, culture shocks and language barriers - you'll often be challenged to do things beyond your normal wiring and pivot when you need to. This teaches you to ride the ebbs and flows that life brings, without getting knocked out or losing your grounding.

   
   

2. Travel teaches you to trust yourself and be independent

   As I shared on my past blog post 'My Solo Trip to Deventer', the idea of travelling to a a new town, by myself, in a foreign country was intimidating. I was scared but I still went for it and I am so glad I did. Even when I felt a little lost, I still trusted myself and ended up having a phenomenal time, by myself, in a new city, in a foreign country. It also helps that there are plenty of signs in Europe! This teaches you to trust your inner voice and check in with yourself before or even without looking to other people to tell you what to do, or the direction your should go. If you've prayed about it and your intuition is at peace, go.

   
   

3. Travel teaches you to gain perspective

   When you leave your normal routine or context that you are used to, it challenges you to look beyond the little bubble you constantly live in. You realize the world is BIG, people think and live lives incredibly different from you, and life goes on. You learn more, it challenges biases that even yourself are unaware you carry. It challenges you to make space for ideas, thoughts, cultures, lifestyles that perhaps are different from you, without losing your core values, of course.

   
   

4. Travel teaches you to be grateful

   The saying is true, 'Familiarity breeds contempt.' You see the things you take for granted at home, you'll find yourself longing for them when in foreign land. The convenience of a boda, smocha by the roadside, local healthy and tasty greens like 'mchicha', 'mrenda' or 'kunde'. East or west, home is best. When you travel, you get to immerse yourself and even enjoy aspects of life abroad, but you will long for the things that remind you of home. It teaches you to be grateful for them.

   
   

5. Travel helps to reignite your sense of wonder and curiosity

   When you travel, especially when going to a place you've never been before, it truly re-ignites your sense of wonder. Most often, we are caught up with the familiarity of everyday life. Travel disrupts that - in a good way. You'll not only discover new places, people, cultures but also discover new aspects of yourself, which is awesome.

   
   

6. Travel teaches you that the grass is not always greener on the other side

   Surprising, I know. I know many people especially from third-world countries, have this notion that life 'majuu' is always a bed of roses. But, the nature of life on this earth, is that there's always a cost to everything.

   True, the quality of life is much better abroad. Access to better services, systems that actually work and more. However, there's homesickness, high taxes, long and harsh winters, racial discrimination, culture shock, black tax, entitlement to your resources from people at home and more.

   
   

   At the end of the day, it is up to you to choose what cost you're willing to pay.

   
   

   Also, if you think that going abroad will solve all your problems, it won't. You are the same person you are at home and abroad. You will carry the same mindset and habits with you, even when abroad. You may need to adjust because the new environment will force you to do so, but you're still the same person you are, just with a different address.

   So, the lesson here is the grass is green where you water it. Whether at home, or abroad. It's up to you.

In Conclusion...

When travelling, not everything will go right. But, I think that's the point. The lessons in life that truly stick, are the ones when there was a challenge to overcome, and you surprise yourself when you get to the other side in one piece! Travelling has allowed me to evolve to an even more awesome version of me, and I 'm super thrilled to see how life will keep looking like as I apply the lessons I learned during my trip.

Remember to like, comment and SHARE this post, I will truly appreciate it!

Till the next one,

Miss Kambe.