Why “Curious Around the World?”
I woke up at 3am to make the drive (and hike) up Mount Nemrut in Turkey
August 2011
In 2011 I did a crazy thing. I uprooted my life, stored all of my possessions and traveled around Europe for 6 months. The thing that made it even more special (and crazy?) was that I did it the year I turned 40. BIG milestone birthday. I honestly can’t think of a better way to welcome in a new decade, especially after the previous decade had slowly started killing my spirit.
I needed change. I had gotten to a point where I felt I couldn’t grow anymore in my home and work environment so I left it all behind. Not without A LOT of thought and consideration. I was leaving my jewellery business (and business partner) and boyfriend behind and forging ahead to find out, what did I really want out of this life of mine?
Thirteen years later I can still say that trip was the best thing I’ve ever done for myself. It was like the “Evolution of Andrea” sped up 100% and suddenly I was SO far outside my comfort zone that I knew I would never fit back into that cramped little box. When I look back at the early photos of that trip, I see a scared girl who was self-conscious and apprehensive. By the end of that trip I was smiling bigger than I ever have, and had a newfound knowledge and confidence that I was a kick ass woman who could handle anything that was thrown my way.
Sampling the Amsterdam beer selection
July 2011
I started my first Blogspot blog (remember that platform?) when I did that trip called “Living my Life in Reverse” because here I was, pushing 40 and doing a big backpacking through Europe trip like a college kid. It started off just being a few words and a few photos, but over the course of a couple of weeks I was doing a nightly post with stories and pics from the day. I was traveling solo, so I had a lot of time in the evenings to reflect on the day and capture my thoughts on paper (er, computer screen ha ha).
Biking around the island of Oland in Sweden
(AKA Windmill Island)
July 2011
When I returned from that trip I converted my Blogspot to a Wordpress and decided on a new name - Curious Around the World. I feel this encompasses more of what I’m all about. I have an innate curiosity, not just about the world but about people, culture, culinary adventures and of course, art. I haven’t had a blog in oh, about 10 years so I’m happy I decided to hold onto my domain all these years!
Thank you for joining me here in my little spot on the world wide web.