2018: Another year without you

Dear dadi,

It's been two years. I've wanted to write this for so long, but the timing never felt right. In 2016, it had felt too soon and in 2017, I'd tried to piece myself back together and focus on myself.

Admittedly, I try not to think of you often because whenever I do, I just feel like bawling my eyes out. And now that I'm writing this, I'm really trying hard not to, but barely succeeding.

How Couchsurfing has changed the way I travel

This is where it all started.

Just a couple of weeks ago I welcomed my 7th surfer to my place. If you aren't familiar with Couchsurfing, then keep on reading. :)

Couchsurfing is a digital platform which allows members to do any or all of the following:
- Host travellers;
- Stay as guests at somebody's home;
- Meet locals or fellow travellers;
- Join events organized by other members.

If you decide to host or be someone's guest, you should know that yes, it is free.

I had heard of Couchsurfing years ago, but never really thought of trying it until my trip to Europe a few months back. My friend, who lives in Turkey, and I decided to travel to VENICE together last June and she wanted to see if we could find a couchsurfer willing to host us for a couple of nights. She's been a couchsurfer for years and I'm pretty open-minded, so I was up for it. However, we couldn't find a host; we just ended up meeting a local, an Italian guy, with whom we had an amazing time. He brought us to Lido, introduced us to his friends, and we all enjoyed the nightlife by the beach. (And it hadn't hurt that I was able to practice my rusty Italian.)

There's no doubt in my mind that this incredible experience was what pushed me to be part of the Couchsurfing community.

Dealing with quarter life crisis

No, I don't have my shit together yet. But I'm getting there.

I hadn't blogged in more than a year and, of course, A LOT of things have happened since my last entry.

I recently turned 25 and, surprisingly, it hasn't freaked me out. Perhaps I'm supposed to break down sooner or later because I still haven't mastered the art of adulting, but the thing is... I'm over my quarter life crisis.