week 1: week of hell

ok...hell doesnt come close to describe what Im feeling right about now. Some words of advice:

1. Always make sure that you get in touch with the person who's supposed to meet u in the airport at least 2 days prior to your arrival. Mailbox is your friend and you should make the effort of befriending the lady who answers the mailbox. Remember: mailbox=friend.

2. Always make sure that at least one of your 4 phones is working properly. No faulty batteries, no unlocked sim card, no nothing. Make sure that your phone is usable in any parts of the world, even in the remotest place. Bloody three network!

3. Never, ever engage in a fight, verbal or physical, with the locals of a country that you have only been in for 2 days. Not even when they're staring at you and make funny faces which make you feel like you wanna smack their behinds and send them to hell and back, and then send them to hell again, and back (and the process continues). Remember that in this kind of situation, standing-up-to-what-you-believe-in spirit is never valid. For all you know, the reason them staring at you is because they think that you're so hot and therefore are worth staring at.

4. Always know where to eat, what to eat and when you can eat. You'll be surprised that some people just don't eat and they are perfectly healthy, something that might interest the medical world. It's also good to know that the things that you think won't taste any different can sometimes taste weirdly different, and that not everybody's eating time revolve around yours. Try to learn how to cook because cooking equals to saving money.

5. Always, always make sure that you are secured financially. If things don't go as planned and you fall short monetarily, identify sources for backups. These sources include a rich cousin whom you have never talked to since the day you were born, or maybe you have but vaguely remember of doing so, but know he/she is still alive and contactable. Notify your primary sources i.e. parents that you might starve to death should you not get enough money to buy an air ticket home. Or worst comes to worst, know your assets, whatever they may be, and take full advantage - if you've got them, flaunt them and hopefully you will be getting paid for flaunting them.

6. Always, always know where the public phones are and learn how to buy the telephone card so that you can contact your loved ones when you feel lonely. Since I am feeling heaps lonley now, I will cease writing advice no.6 for I will get teary and start to cry should I continue even further.

7. Make as many friends as you can. This is very, very beneficial to build your own personal network. Who knows, you can even rely on your newly found friends should you need any financial aid. All humans are the same. Do not discriminate, even if they looked like they just got out of jail. Single people (people who travel alone) with the intention of making friends are easy targets. Grab the opportunity and interesting things will definitely happen in the future.

Travelling alone is never easy. Just learn how to suck everything in, be brave and it helps if you get support from you loved ones. Believe that everything will be fine in the next few days. Hopefully.