
Singapore skyline By Sonja Bjelland
“What do you want to get out of this trip?” the Swami asked me within my first two weeks in India.
“Discovery,” I replied.
That was all. I wasn’t looking for some life-altering experience. I wanted to see more of the world, gain some perspective, learn a few things. I wound up gaining confidence, trusting my instincts and learning a bit about myself. Here’s a bit more about what I learned – about me and the world.
1. Relax into the stretch
I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do another lengthy trip out of the Western world but I figured I could always go home if I hated it. Why would I hate it? My last lengthy stint out of the country had me living in Lima, Peru for almost a year. And that was 10 years ago. That experience challenged me in ways I hadn’t realized because I was focused on getting through it. Once on the ground in India, it occurred to me that I had been 22 living in a country watching the government collapse. Now I can say, wow, I really did that. But what shifted? Previously, my mind constantly filled with notions of “if only they could be cleaner,” “if only they understood the economic importance of being on time.” I no longer look at everything in sight and wish I could make it the way I want. I don’t seek the Disney version. I can accept India being dirty, loud and chaotic and that I have to relax into that to see India, and others, as itself.
2. Trust your instincts
In Vietnam, I needed to change hotel rooms. The front desk clerk took me to a second building owned by the same hotel. It was practically empty, like an apartment building with hotel rooms. If I’d been with someone else I might have considered it. But on my own I knew I had to say “no.” That was a tough thing for me to learn to do. When I knew I needed to say “no” and to actually do it. My instincts always proved correct. I walked down the street and into a hotel advertising 30 percent off for its grand opening. It was clean, quite and even had cable and hot water. Downright dreamy.

Yoga in Singapore By Sonja Bjelland
3. More of the world has hot showers
In the backpacker level places, I really didn’t assume I’d get hot water. But the electric hot water heater has changed everything. I could build a statue to its inventor. Even the $3 a night place I stayed in Chiang Sean, Thailand, had some hot water. India though is still well behind in this trend. Not like I often needed a hot shower in Asia but it was nice when I did. And it made this trip much easier.
4. I can live on less than I ever thought possible
Maybe a little contradictory to No. 3, but traveling around with a 22” pack gave me a real sense of what I need. Granted I stuffed 40 pounds of something in that pack by the time I was done. Since I’ve been home, I’ve found I have enough socks to fill half that pack. I’m setting aside many of my clothes for after the re-acclimation period and see what I still want. Otherwise, I could toss most of them now.
5. A renewed sense of what’s important to me
I’ve never been one to crave a fancy new car or bigger house. But I did live a life on the corporate ladder of journalism – always trying to get to the bigger paper. Now I’m a more focused work wise on doing what plays to my strengths and keeps me sane and personally on spending time with friends.
6. I don’t miss TV
Is it really all that different that I spend hours in front of my laptop instead? No. But I’m not as into certain shows. Like most magazines, certain shows don’t apply to me right now. I’m not fixing up a house or even an apartment. I’m not trying to buy this season’s clothes. I like being able to veg out to a movie on a screen larger than my laptop. But TV doesn’t hold the power it once did. And even that was tertiary.
7. Most of the world is very nice, even to Americans
I’ve been asked multiple times since returning to the States how I was received as an American. All I can say is in my experience I never had a problem. The usual response to me telling someone I was Americas came in three syllables “O-ba-ma.” Sometimes followed by “Yes we can.” From figuring out train stations in India to navigating a small town in Thailand I was greeted with smiles.
8. To use the same open mind with which I face people of another culture and language for every encounter.

Singapore at dusk By Sonja Bjelland
If 90 percent of what we believe comes from our own perception, then the world really is in our head. We expect someone who speaks another language or looks different from us to have a different perspective. But reality is, we all have an equally different perceptive – 90 percent.
9. To watch how things work out sometimes
A bus forgot to pick me and a friend up in Bali. We headed to the main drag thinking we’d at least be able to get a taxi to the boat dock we needed to reach. A few minutes later the bus pulled over by us and asked if we were supposed to be on it. Off we went and everything went fine. Traveling I saw the immediate results of things going wrong and being resolved. Allowing for opportunities thinking on my feet made that possible.
10. I want to go back on the road
Yes, even to India. I enjoy the challenge and taking in that deep stretch. But I also love places that are a little smoother around the edges. Places that understand what a traveler is looking for and know how to provide it. Like hotel pickup being the norm in Phuket, Thailand, and easy bicycle rental in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Travel also agrees with me. My now almost weekly headaches had gone away to the point that I brought Advil back with me. Backaches left too. I’m trying to bring back some of the road to my life with more walking and yoga to see if I can recreate that sense and get these pains to go away.