So, why am I here?

Not why am I on this earth (that’s an existential question and post for another day), but why am I in the beautiful city of Prague? 

Beautiful, right?

New Beginnings and a New Me

Equipped with a confident new voice and bright red lipstick, I've set off to see the world. Well, 5 of the world’s countries that I've never been to before.

I really like this map. It's like the one I look up and see every time I'm in my dentist's chair. 

In December I graduated from the University of Cape Town (UCT) with a Bachelor of Social Science degree. My time there certainly wasn't all smooth sailing, but it was exciting to be a university student.

This year, I felt like I needed a break from studying to “get my life in order” before I took on another degree. So, with one degree under my belt, I thought, “here’s my chance!” To be completely honest, I didn't know what I wanted to do or study this year (if I did decide to carry on studying).  

In South Africa, it is more common for people to take their gap years straight after high school, but when I left high school, I didn't feel that I was ready to go off into the big wide world on my own. I wanted to go to UCT, and I was determined to get in. It was the only university I applied to. My parents went there and I wanted to go there.

So, there I was, my 22^nd birthday was around the corner and it was pretty much a now or never kind of situation. However, it wasn't as easy as it sounds to decide on a gap year. All of my closest friends decided to carry on studying, including my boyfriend. So, questions like “Am I making the right decision?”, “What is the right decision?”, “Shouldn't I just carry on studying and get it done all in one go?”, “Won’t I be lonely?”, and “Can I leave behind my family, my boyfriend and my friends?” all filled my mind. But also, “When will you ever get this opportunity to travel the world again?” In the cycle of life, it’s school, degree, work, marriage, family… maybe go on a few holidays in between, but no travelling the world for a whole year, by yourself, to find yourself.

Anyway, back to the present. This is no ordinary gap year! You won’t find me waitressing in some pub in England or travelling aimlessly around South America or sitting on the couch at home getting fat. In total, I will visit 5 countries that I've never been to before (and I've travelled a lot!) and in each, I will be doing something totally unique. First stop = Prague.