Being a Reflective Traveler

One thing to be mindful of when traveling is that there is more than what meets the eye. That is why for this assignment we were tasked to take a journey on our own and really take the time to allow our surroundings to sink in. I started off my journey right outside of the tracks to one of the local trains. I noticed myself at peace when I got the chance to sit down and take deep breaths. The past few days had been incredibly stressful as this was my first time traveling alone and traveling internationally. It was a huge step for me and I had been so focused on not "messing up" that I never really got the chance to let it sink in that I am in Japan. One thought that began to emerge during this time was that Tokyo was very welcoming to everybody. I'd noticed that not one thing had a priority over the other and that each aspect played its part in the functioning of the city. The transportation lanes all weaved nicely around each other. The vending machine to my right and all the shops near me were in support of all the people who were living around there. I noticed this same theme as I kept walking around the area; there didn't seem to be any priorities of one thing over another. As I was walking I felt myself getting further and further from NYC and I was starting to feel nervous that it was going to take me a while to get back. The streets all somehow connected and it felt like I was also getting lost in a maze. After a while I decided that once I hit the end of the street I was walking on, I would take out my phone and try to find my way back to NYC as I felt very far away. However, once I got to the end of the street, I realized that I was right next to the grocery store that our group had visited earlier and that I had passed very early on into my walk. I was incredibly surprised that I managed to find my way back to where I had started out without using a map app or retracing my steps. From this journey I am taking back with me that sometimes I just need to trust in myself and what I am doing and that it is okay to take a step back, breathe, and let it all happen.