When I travelled for one year I kept my heart and mind open and there are no words that I can use in this blog post to describe the most humbling, eye-opening and breathtaking moments that I had. It was like I left my home country and asked the universe to show me humanity, although I don’t think I was aware of it at the time. And by god did it respond.

From the taxi driver in Bangkok who talked to me about teen pregnancy in the capital to an Aboriginal in Australia telling me about how she had no money to feed her children, or the man in Adelaide who was gathering signatures for a petition to help keep jobs. Every person touched me in some way.

I saw what it meant to exist in this world, what it meant to live here. And I realised that there is little difference between me and others who live on the other side of the world.

I saw while I away two common things in the people that I met. One was that they were all searching for something and secondly wanted to connect with someone, to belong. I saw their vulnerabilities and I was humbled by them. I saw humanity in it’s purest form and it was like I was staring at one part of the picture my whole life and then I stood back and saw nearly all of it.

What made part of the experience so enjoyable was that I was curious about people.

I walked around emotionally naked most of the time resulting in me being vulnerable myself and humanity responded in kind, showing me something beautiful. Their acceptance and receptiveness and kindness to a young woman travelling alone. I saw their empathy and understanding and was completely blown away.

I gave my hands over to the universe to let it direct me wherever it wanted me to go. And it was from this sense of being guided yet myself walking the path alone that a blissful state of oneness came over me. Humanity and I, we were all one. Never did I see it so vividly, intimately and fiercely as I did when I was away. And I will always be tremendously grateful for that insight.

The psychology behind one of the most important experiences in my life can be summed up in this very enlightening TED talk below on vulnerability.