My First & Last Journal Entry From Nepal
Is it normal to finish an entire journal in just 2 months?
April 13th, 2025
Embarking on my adventure to Nepal today. I started sobbing at the airport when my family waved goodbye at security. I’ve really enjoyed being at home in-between my travels and appreciating the time with loved ones.
Initially, I felt like I was avoiding coming home because I had so much more to explore on my own and I didn’t know how to answer the question, “What are you doing next after your solo travels end?”
I feel even more comfortable with the not knowing, maybe because I realize no one ever really knows what life has in store for us.
I’m in shock that I’m going to be in Kathmandu, a city with so much history and fame. I’ll be trekking through the Himalayas and meditating at Vipassana centers in the country the Buddha himself was born in.
Everything I’m passionate about seems to be in Nepal—nature, yoga, meditation, and community. I genuinely don’t believe that 2 months will be enough for me.
I’m coming into this journey a lot differently than the last one. My intention is to slow down, and really take life one day at at time. I’m not seeking a random group to travel with for the sake of having company—I want to embark on adventures and experiences that I genuinely want, when I want.
I have full freedom these next 2 months to move about the world how I wish to.
I was rereading my old journals recently, and I’ve been mentioning a blog for years. I can’t believe it’s been something I’ve wanted for so long and I couldn’t bring myself to jump in, for whatever reason.
I’m thankful I never stopped journaling, and that I have stacks of pages filled with the inner workings of my mind. I’ll continue to write on this journey, with as many details as I possibly can to paint an accurate picture of my unfiltered thoughts and feelings in a new country, completely by myself.
I didn’t bring my laptop so I could disconnect. That just means this journal in my hands right now will be the first draft of my blogs.
I haven’t been feeling very passionate about posting on social media lately. I want to be thoughtful of what I post, and how I post it. But… it’s also nice to connect with others when I don’t think too critically about what I share online.
Well, for now, my intention is to disconnect during my time in Nepal and avoid social media and TV altogether so I can be fully present in the moment.
As for my actual plans… if I’m being completely honest, I haven’t done much research.
I know I want to go on a trek in the Himalayas, but it’ll be a coin flip between the Annapurna and Manaslu circuit.
I’d also love to volunteer in Kathmandu, but none of the opportunities I’ve briefly seen online resonate with me. I could potentially work with children, live with a local family, or teach yoga.
There seems to be an infinite amount of possibilities, and I know I just need to choose one.
Let’s see where my gut leads me. She hasn’t let me down yet.
The plane is about to land—a fresh new day in a country on the other side of the world.
Here we go!
June 15th, 2025
I’m officially on my plane ride home, and on the last page.
I can’t believe I slept the entire way, and the only other thing I did was reread this journal from cover to cover.
What a journey it’s been.
Everything I had manifested, I was able to accomplish in 60 days—take Nepali language classes, teach yoga, volunteer at a children’s home, trek the Manaslu (8th highest mountain the world) circuit, meditate for 100 hours in complete silence at a Vipassana course, and make a local community of the kindest friends.
My heart is so full from it all.
Everything I did was so incredibly tough and challenged me in the best ways possible.
I found love in every corner… mornings spent dancing, painting, and playing games with the sweet kids at the children’s home, afternoons spent speaking in broken Nepali with local shopkeepers that would recognize me and give me a few extra sweets with my groceries, and evenings spent cooking momos and singing along to Anuv Jain’s songs at my new friends’ apartments.
They all taught me that community can be built no matter where I am in the world.
I do think I have started to shift the way I travel to slow down and be more intentional.
Whether it was in the middle of the Himalayas, by the lakeside cafes in Pokhara, at the remote Vipassana center, or in the midst of the bustling city of Kathmandu—I found beauty in each moment.
Instead of using my phone as a crutch, I filled my time with journaling, staring out of a window, and aimlessly walking on random streets until my day got interesting.
I’ve finished two journals in the past six months of solo traveling South Asia. I’ve lived so many lives. Different versions of myself. All on a journey to find my True Self.
With all the walls slowly coming down, what’s left? Who’s left?
Things I’ve learned on the road that will stick with me:
To simply sit and watch the clouds pass and the rain fall (with a cup of masala chai, of course).
To always lead with compassion and love to those who are suffering (especially the ones who are causing the suffering).
To keep my phone in my pocket and drink in every detail.
To make the effort to speak a new language (even if I sound like a child).
To laugh off every weird interaction and give back positive energy.
Example:
Stranger, aggressive: “TAXI?!”
Me, with a smile: “No, but do YOU want a taxi?”
Both of us: laughing.
To love freely without expecting anything in return.
To trust that my body and mind is stronger than I think.
To hold on to people who truly see me for who I am.
To let go of energy that no longer serves me.
To be vulnerable to the world no matter what people say.
To see things for what they really are vs. what I’d like them to be.
I’ve been really enjoying my own company, and never feeling even a tiny bit lonely because I have myself.
There’s truly nothing like a hot shower, dancing freely in my own apartment on the other side of the world to my favorite Billie Eilish songs, and rereading all the past letters I’ve written to myself with a hot cup of lemon honey tea.
Realizing that each letter (some messy, some painful, some hopeful) I wrote over the years has brought me closer and closer to this exact moment. The moment that I’ve been dreaming and writing about for so long.
Suddenly, I’m happier than ever.
On this journey to get to know myself, I’ve fallen in love.
