I went on my first full solo trip ever! I mean, I’ve lived abroad and travelled alone but I would usually have company at some point. This time round, it was 12 full days all by myself in an entirely new place for me. (Except for the people that I crossed paths with and my last dinner in Lima with my awesome, hospitable Peruvian friends from UC Berkeley!)

There were many hurdles (partially because I’m not an admin queen) but also many serendipitous moments that led me to open my Apple Notes and jot down some life lessons. Here goes!

1. You don’t need your lattes to survive

My friend once joked that I survive on three types of liquids – coffee, alcohol and eyedrops. He wasn’t wrong. Except that I’m picky about my coffee and only drink lattes (with Meiji milk) – I acknowledge that this is an extremely privileged thing to say. Even when I’m late for class, even if it’s out of the way, I will get my latte. Because I know how cranky and headache-y I will get without my dose of caffeine.

During my 4D3N Inca Trail, I obviously did not have access to my lattes. It seemed like I was doomed to four days of peevishness and splitting headaches but no! With just one mindset change, I learned how to survive without my lattes. Spoiler: I started learning to drink instant black coffee.

But the point is, there are so many things in life that you THINK you need but you actually don’t. That job? The other one’s not as glamorous but it still pays. A car? There is UBER or the public transit. A person? You can make new friends. All it takes is getting used to it. And hence, I’ve come to realise that the faster you accept and get used to things, the easier it will be.

Humans are awfully good at surviving. We don’t need a lot to survive. We just need to get used to it. Delulu is not the solulu.

2. Nature is the best therapy

When I’m down, I look to my various sources of therapy – writing, malatang, Taylor Swift, K-POP, speaking to an actual therapist… But I’ve found that the best form of therapy is being surrounded by Mother Nature. In that moment, all my problems don’t seem to matter anymore. The world still spins and its beauty abounds, with or without me. I am just an observer. And that, somehow, brings me immense comfort. Perhaps wallflower energy is better than main character energy.

3. We are all citizens of the world

One of the things I hate the most in this world is prejudice – all sorts of prejudice, be it by race, gender or sexual orientation. But on this trip, I witnessed and experienced something so beautiful. During my day trips from Cusco, I met tourists from all over the world. In spite of the language barrier, we all found a way to communicate and started interacting with each other. Some even offered me warm clothes, as I was severely underdressed. It comforted me to realise that beneath the prejudice caused by political rhetoric, there’s something about us humans that makes us naturally care for one another.

4. Sometimes you have no choice but to just keep swimming

We got caught in a hailstorm while riding the ATV through the mountains. There was no shelter in the vicinity and we had about an hour more to go before arriving back in base. I had hail in my face, which was awfully painful, my clothes were soaked (I was the only one without waterproof clothes because I didn’t read the instructions as usual), and I could feel my fingers frostbiting. I was in so much physical pain that it didn’t feel possible to keep on going. And I was incredibly lonely. I was alone while everyone else had their families. But what choice did I have? I. just. kept. going.

We finally arrived at base after an hour and I broke down the moment I got into the bus and was engulfed in warmth. It reminded me of the things that I had been through (and survived) and would never want to go through ever again.

5. I want to live!

It’s easy to complain that your life sucks and feel like giving up when you’re stuck in the daily grind. There’s nothing much to look forward and you tend to focus on the negatives. But when I was out there in dangerous situations, I found myself uttering a prayer that I would make it home safely. I realised that there were so many more things that I wanted to do. Make it to the Eras Tour, give mum a hug, eat McSpicy, try that TikTok trend, and see the sunset with you. Life doesn’t always suck. We just lose sight of the happier things and take them for granted from time to time.