Evaluation
Over the course of our journey so far we have experimented with many forms of travel and placed ourselves in many different situations. And unsurprisingly we have found that some of these are much more harmonious to our lifestyle and choices than others. Some of the situations I imagined to be effortless and easy have been the most challenging, whilst others have been surprisingly easy.
One thing I have found is a very significant lack in other parents travelling with their children. In six months I have met one family travelling for 3 months with their two young children, met several parents on a beach holiday with their kids, and only recently met one other couple who were travelling with their 3 year old son for a year trip around Asia. Where are they all? I know parents travel, surely, have I just not been in the right place at the right time to meet them? Most of our time travelling has been spent with single, childless backpackers, and we are usually always the only family in whatever guest house we stay in. I have started to feel that we seem to live in this slightly different reality than all other travellers that we meet, whilst they are all out socialising or scuba diving or partying on the beach, we are following little snails and paddling in the water, going to bed early reading stories and singing songs about dragons. We definitely see a different side to Thai travelling than most other people do, as there is usually a small child or two lurking in the back of the guest house kitchen or fruit store or market place, and it is there that we spend our time, splashing in the water, swapping little cars, sharing biscuits.
One thing I have found is a very significant lack in other parents travelling with their children. In six months I have met one family travelling for 3 months with their two young children, met several parents on a beach holiday with their kids, and only recently met one other couple who were travelling with their 3 year old son for a year trip around Asia. Where are they all? I know parents travel, surely, have I just not been in the right place at the right time to meet them? Most of our time travelling has been spent with single, childless backpackers, and we are usually always the only family in whatever guest house we stay in. I have started to feel that we seem to live in this slightly different reality than all other travellers that we meet, whilst they are all out socialising or scuba diving or partying on the beach, we are following little snails and paddling in the water, going to bed early reading stories and singing songs about dragons. We definitely see a different side to Thai travelling than most other people do, as there is usually a small child or two lurking in the back of the guest house kitchen or fruit store or market place, and it is there that we spend our time, splashing in the water, swapping little cars, sharing biscuits.
On our open journey design
Me and Ohli on an overnight train
By remaining very open to opportunities that came our way, and listening to how our energies were feeling our journey flowed very naturally. All along our journey I found it very beneficial to remain in touch with my initial observations to make sure we were fulfilling our intentions and aims for this trip.
I have been very much intent on staying focused on checking in with myself and seeing how I am feeling, and also how Ohli may be feeling. Becoming aware to the subtle signs that something is out of balance; Ohli may not have been sleeping well, or be more needing of affection and comfort than usual, I may be snapping and find my tolerance levels are below normal showing I am stretching myself too far. I might have always been aware of these as signs that something may be a problem, but now we are travelling I have put much greater focus on actively changing something to re-balance the situation. I need a lot more energy being on the move than I needed at home, and so does Ohli, and I want to keep our immune systems healthy and strong, which means us staying happy and well rested.
Keeping my work on quadrant theory very much in mind, I have tried to ensure that our journey includes time focusing on all areas of our growth in a holistic way.
I have been very much intent on staying focused on checking in with myself and seeing how I am feeling, and also how Ohli may be feeling. Becoming aware to the subtle signs that something is out of balance; Ohli may not have been sleeping well, or be more needing of affection and comfort than usual, I may be snapping and find my tolerance levels are below normal showing I am stretching myself too far. I might have always been aware of these as signs that something may be a problem, but now we are travelling I have put much greater focus on actively changing something to re-balance the situation. I need a lot more energy being on the move than I needed at home, and so does Ohli, and I want to keep our immune systems healthy and strong, which means us staying happy and well rested.
Keeping my work on quadrant theory very much in mind, I have tried to ensure that our journey includes time focusing on all areas of our growth in a holistic way.
On-journey observations and reflections
Ohli
As we travel further, I am noticing the importance of certain things that impact my/our states of mind and make the difference between us having a nice time and a terrible time, as we have had a little of both so far! I am trying to remain aware of our states of mind and general well-being throughout this trip, as it feels like somewhat of an experimental journey, covering new ground for Ohli and myself, and by keeping myself open to signs of weariness or imbalance I hope to be able to create a nurturing environment for us both to flourish in whatever ways we are needing to. Of course, this is not always easy.
One of the things I have found returning time and again to my mind is the awareness of keeping a balance in our activities, and in our daily lives. The more this come into my head the more it seems to underpin everything that we are doing, and lights the way to keeping us healthy and happy. Is this the answer to all things in the universe? Right now it feels like it might be.
One of the things I have found returning time and again to my mind is the awareness of keeping a balance in our activities, and in our daily lives. The more this come into my head the more it seems to underpin everything that we are doing, and lights the way to keeping us healthy and happy. Is this the answer to all things in the universe? Right now it feels like it might be.
But I have also been feeling a real lacking lately, in companions for Ohli, in other parents to talk with, to share this experience, share support. With sporadic internet access and a big time difference from home, I have started to feel disconnected from friends and family and quite isolated in my parenting. The day I realised this and started to feel quite lonely in our travels, I asked for some friends to come into our lives who we could share this experience with. And it was the next day that we met Max, the three year old travelling Asia for a year with his wonderful parents. Instantly Max and Ohli became the best of friends over their love of little cars, and we all had some friendship and like minded support for the next few days until we moved on. A wonderful example of having faith in nature!
and onto the next page, the appendix here
