The Thrilling Freedom of the Unknown


Starting a journey is always relatively easy. Most of the times, you have a ticket in your hand, the name of the destination in your mind, and a dream in your heart. You know that on a certain day you will board a plane, or get on a bus, or hop on a bike, or stick your thumb out, and that will be the beginning of your next great adventure. You might not be certain where you will end up, but you know for sure where you need to set off. When you start a blog, you might know neither.

What is truly scary about a blank screen with a blinking cursor in the upper left corner is not its seeming emptiness – it’s the endless variety of choices it offers. Somehow, there always comes the feeling that the first word you put on that pristine page determines the rest of your journey. It feels like standing in front of an endless flight schedule at a huge airport, with no idea what your destination should look like and no one to guide you through the choice. And sometimes, what you need to do is to simply let it go and trust the road.

When I don’t know where to start, I start from the middle. So, after years of hesitation and contemplation, I am starting right here, sitting in my room on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, catching the glimpses of the receding daylight through my window.

I am 25 years old. I am a sunset maniac, a freelancer, and an aspiring tanguera. I am awaiting my first poetry book to be published. I am looking forward to discovering my 20th country in less than three weeks. I am anticipating the spring. I am on the verge of a big change. I am in love.


Life has never been so unpredictable. Life has never been so thrilling. I don’t know where this journey will bring me, but I am excited. Because the truth does not await us at any particular destination. The truth is in the road.

Namibia, July 2013. Photo by Andy McNeill

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