A little about me.

I have decided to start this blog for a couple reasons. Firstly, I cannot stand Instagram. I believe in access without impaired viewing, also known as no fucking ads. Secondly, I would like to be able to write along with my images. I am hoping to create some insight into this trip and the ways these experiences impact my life. I would like to learn from all of the things around my and contribute my own perspectives along with them. I am hopeful that the images I can provide can look deeper into the experiences I am having. The art forms of writing and photography are of great interest to me and continue to provide more to my life than I understand now. Whether or not you decide to read, look, or ignore this is up to you. If you stay with me here along this journey know that it will not always be happy and fun as we so often imagine travel to be. I am also fond of being open and sharing my own thoughts and emotions so please read with openness and compassion. 

    As I started this trip there were many things I began to miss quickly. My friends, my family, routine, comfort, and so much more. While I finish the chapter of my life returning home I reflect on all I have learned and gained from that time. When initially arriving back in Bend I felt an odd sense of stagnancy, as If the few years I had gone off did not exist. While time progressed on I quickly reminded myself of the person I felt I had become and the lessons I had learned along the way. Settling back into the space where I grew up, a space of normal hardships accompanied by the trials and tribulations of youth, I felt the growth and confidence continue to swell up. Reconnecting with old friends, connecting with knew and simply observing the overwhelming growth of the place I once knew brought so many feelings to my life. Throughout that time at home, I discovered many things I had yet to know about myself and the meaning of the life I was hoping to lead. As I continue to age and move through the different spaces of these early years I feel I begin to find myself closer and closer to the truth of my own life and self. I am thankful for the privileges of my life, the mentors who set me on course, and others around me who continue to teach me who I am. Set out with the goals to continue to find a career and discover new places I have now found myself here. Indonesia.

    The beginnings of the trip as I mentioned were difficult. Mainly the FOMO of missing opportunities with the people I had grown to love so much. With the shock in the culture and way of life around me, I quickly began to feel discouraged and lost. I think a lot about the feeling of being lost. It is so innate to the experiences of being in your twenties. I have learned to find comfort in that confusion and it eases the pains that come along with it. Reminding myself of the work I had done to be here and the feeling before I left that helped me connect to this path I waited. In time and not with some speedbumps here and there I began to feel settled into the spaces around and within me. The beauty and kindness of the Balinese shine through the trash in the streets and the ocean. Amongst the initial shock of chaos to the busy scooter-filled roads and constant merchant hassle I have found a quiet peace that lies within the order of it all. As scooters nearly miss cars and weave imperfectly through large intersections you realize this is the way things are meant to be. I am happy to continue through this Journey and rediscover the ways of life that I am so engrained to consider normal. 

Thanks for reading if you did, and expect to see more soon.\

Sincerely,

-Eli

PS. No I will not be editing so just edit in your mind.