Anywhere you want to go
Thailand. Africa. Cornwall.
Anywhere you want to go, you can go.
Anywhere I want to go, you have been.
Hannah talks to me about her travel experiences. How, moving to Cornwall from Bristol at the age of eight was clearly a drastic change; a similar one to myself, moving from Bath to London and back, though I was four (or younger) so my memory of that is not clear. A similar experience, but not the same.
While I was still in Bath facing my teenage years, struggling through the dramas of friendships and identity crises, Hannah was exploring the plains of Africa. Exploring, and helping of course. Her school provided a work experience opportunity to help with young children in African schools, with one week’s work and one week’s travel. All the while, I was taking up the opportunities my school provided me with – a master class in a new timetabled session, a trial run: Guinea pigs.
When Hannah passed her Psychology and English A-Levels, I too scraped passes on my Sociology and English A-Levels. I dropped Psychology in my first year. A pivotal moment came for the both of us the day our results came in, Falmouth being the only place we could envision starting our lives. Both of us, however, still slightly uneasy towards it all.
First year, still strangers. I sat in my Uni halls, resenting my flatmates and doubting my choices, whilst Hannah sought out her current housemates. I later moved in with strangers that were soon to become friends. Friends that I would talk to, drink with, face conflict with. Hannah moved in with her friends and went to Thailand with them for three weeks.
I have always wanted to travel – and don’t get me wrong, my small list of travel experiences so far have been riveting. For me. Hannah’s seen it, and is inspired to see even more. She has the bug. Not from the food of a foreign country, or a literal insect, but the travel bug. The itchy desire for more, now that she’s tasted a little.
She is inspired.
Inspiring.
Hearing her talk about the changing patterns of her life, the closeness of our homes, the similarities in our interests, the fact that we were brought together by pure chance in the same writing class two years into Uni. A coincidence?
A reminder.
A reminder to concentrate on what I have done. Where I have been.
Hong Kong. Scotland. Cornwall.
A reminder that there are still so many places to go, but in good time.
A reminder that life is taking place in the here and now.
A reminder that it’s all still possible.
People like Hannah have travelled before me, and come back to tell me about it. To share the experience.
Spread the message.
Get up and go see the world.
If that’s really what you want to do.
Then you will.
Ella Jones