Purposeful travel is a lesson

We are really close to saying goodbye to 2019, and still, I had a regret that I have attended only one volunteer work. Smh. And then, a friend, who I made while volunteering for a marathon run posted an “A planting event”. It’s not a typical NGO event though.

My classes for this semester just ended, and my study holidays just began, I thought as “ah, what a nice way to study through travel.”

Do you know how a solivagant is born? There are many ways. I’ll let you know one way on how a solivagant is “forced” to be born. She is born when her peers are different from her. She is born when she wants to do something different and has no one to join her. She was born when she can’t give up on what she wants to do that no one wants to.

In simple terms, I asked many people to join me and no one wants to go volunteer. Hm. So, yea. I got up, I dressed up, hop on a metro train and reached the washermanpet metro station for the first time. There aren’t people around. And I tried to find the location through Google map and reached a dead end😅. What a perfect start! I asked a person for the way and lesson number one is people are so good at showing the way than Google Maps sometimes.

Being a solivagant is not a comfortable thing. Not always, especially for an introvert like me. It is tough. But I try to challenge myself. That’s why I take myself out, to experience new things. Sitting inside your room, laying in your bed feels comfortable, it is so good, but it’s not going to take you anywhere. Trust me. You are deprived of experiences.

There is this bad experience I had in this purposeful travel which turned into the greatest lesson. Corporate events are not as perfect as NGO events. Time. They didn’t follow the time. It’s a man-made forest kind of event. But I felt like it’s an event for a man. Two famous corporates joined together and ruined my expectations. An event which was supposed to start at 8:00 AM started at 12:00 PM. A large number of students who were brought to this event were sitting so tiredly and they were also hungry. 1000s of plants were waiting to be planted. But everything is paused for a single chief guest, a politician.

They made others work and didn’t want to get dirt on their shoes even for something good like this. That was the most annoying half a day of my life. There were little kids and young students sitting there and the organizers have 0% of morals, cause they were playing item songs and asking college students to dance. That place literally turned to a pub for an hour.

Thank you socially responsible corporate. Those young children must have learned to be a good adult now.👎🏼

But, there comes a good thing. Like I talked to you about how a basic travel opens a door to meet good people in the previous post, I got a chance to meet new people.

I sat alone without anyone to talk for 2hrs. Sitting alone and having no one you know around makes your soul lifeless, but you have to do something to save you.

I was desperate. And there was this girl sitting behind me. I turned and said hi. Asked her to join me. Now, she is a new member of my contact list. Trust me. Such an interesting person. I get to know her colleague too. Also, I saw the NCC girls of my alma mater. I really want to go up to them and talk. But I was shying away. Mmm… Not for long. I went over and introduced myself. I got a chance to befriend the most bright and talented girls. I would have regretted if I haven’t stepped up.

Even if some purposeful travel gets messed up, it will ultimately give a new purpose.

I might go there again later. Maybe after a year?! To see if there is still hope. To see if those plants have chances to change into a tree.