Traveling solo for the first time can be nerve-wrecking but it can also be a rewarding experience.
As I remember my first time flying solo experience from our beloved country to Singapore for almost one year being assigned there.
Though at that time was not my first time to Singapore (in fact, it was my fifth times already) and not forget to say, that Singapore is very near, it is only one hour and twenty minutes flight from Jakarta.
However, it was my first time experience flying abroad alone by myself, and not only that, this was my first time also living/staying alone, leaving my 2 children in Jakarta, in someone else county for months.
My bags were packed, passport and plane tickets safely in a zipped compartment in my hand carry, and the taxi driver had arrived on the dot - I was ready to head for the airport, but I was not prepared to leave. Up until then, I had always been a herd traveler, I would only take a vacation if I could find someone to go with me. In fact, I never going to restaurant or watching cinema alone by myself. When I holidayed with friends, our motto was always 'go to plan' as opposed to 'plan to go'. We'd pick a destination at random, arrive with no expectation at all and not much money in our pocket. Even if it means walking five kilos back to the hotel at three in the morning because we had run out of money, we did it in high spirits and let our laughter ring out across the empty streets.
And for the first time too, I had butterflies in my stomach all the way to airport. Usually I just felt flutters of excitement, this time felt as if an angry mob of insects were invading my insides. I was antsy and it bugged me. I was so worried. My mind was weighing with so many questions revolving inside, "What if I lost my way there?", "What if the hotel did not have my booking?", "What if they cannot understand me because my English language was so poor?", "Would my children be just fine without me besides them?", "How if my Singaporean colleagues did not like me?" etc etc..Imagine the worst-case travel mishaps, multiply them by hundred and you get a picture of what went through my head.
And here I was, already arrived in Singapore....and the reality was far enough from my worst imagination. In fact, I found myself enjoying my time traveling solo. Being on my own, I was alert to everything and saw or even experienced a lot more than every guidebook pointed out. Each day, I consider as a different adventure, and I met wonderful and friendly people who were helpful and happy to recommend any questions I asked them. Sure, there were some scary incidences also, but they were part and parcel of the journey. Later on, I realised my carefully-organised plan was no longer necessary. I learned so much more about the city and the work from its people, by talking or simply watching them.
The best thing being far away and alone from your habitat is that I follow my own pace. I decide all the 'where, when, what, how, and why' and at the end of my staying there, I knew I would bring home good and bad memories which will enriched my life :).
