In exchange, freedom.

I felt the need to go for a swim after 6 hours of sitting and catching up with work at my bungalow in Koh Phangan (for those less traveled, It is a paradise island in Thailand).

It is usually quite shallow at the beach in front so I was surprised when I saw the high tide.

I grabbed my snorkel goggles without much expectation and jumped in.

Wow.

My nose didn't breathe for an hour and a half. I couldn't get my head out of the water.

Beautiful purple corals and schools of large striped fish mixed with smaller deep blue fish were going back and forth. Interestingly, none of them bumped into me.

There were giant clams (that's what they're called) that reminded me of The Little Mermaid and would shut real quick when I walked by. Apparently, they have several hundred tiny eyes that respond to movement and shadows. These types of clams are only present in very healthy reefs and today they are very protected. How lucky I was to spend some time with them!

I recoiled a little when I saw some seaweeds growing all of a sudden. It was a camouflaged octopus struggling to escape from another fish.

Meanwhile, a lobster-like fish with orange whiskers was working conscientiously digging in the sand to improve his little house, he was one of the few that didn't seem to care about my presence at any time.

I accidentally swallowed some water as I forgot that I was no mermaid and that my life at that moment depended on a tube connected to my mouth so I had to keep it closed. I just marveled at how much life was there that I was unaware of before I put my head in the water.

With my hair still dripping and my skin soaking wet, I laid my sarong on the sand and enjoyed the reddish colors of the sun.

My heart was full, my mind calm, no rush, nothing was missing. I don't know if there is a word that describes all that together, but there is one feeling that surrounded me completely.

I felt proud.

I could remember my life just 6 years ago. A much more traditional lifestyle. A 9 to 5 job (always thankful of course). A partner with little to do with me and my dreams put on hold, at least until the next summer vacation.

Anyone reading me might say, "But you seemed to have it all! What else did this girl want?"

Easy answer. This feeling.

That a regular working day ends up being fascinating. To feel that I have the power to create whatever I want, to connect with nature, to feel gratitude for my life, whether I have it all or not, and to be proud of the person that I am.

Not you, not my mother, not that boss, me.

And in that very moment on the beach, it seemed to me that maybe I had succeeded.

For some time now, years perhaps, I have felt at peace. Sometimes, by default, I look for old feelings of emptiness or anguish in myself, but I can't find them anymore. Because I am complete.

You know how it feels, you've felt it before, when spending a day at a barbecue singing out loud with your best friends or when you first knew that person loved you for real.

You've been there, you know the way.

By immersing myself fully in the world and deciding to live life to the fullest, I have invented a lifestyle that gives me the freedom to turn it upside down and change it again whenever I want.

I have broken over a hundred internal limitations, some set by society. Some, the worst, of my own head. We all have them.

Not that it has been easy, I have had to leave many things behind. Although It's been much easier than living a life that didn't fulfill me based on what others were expecting from me. That's for sure.

In exchange, a sunset on a random Wednesday surrounded by goldfish.

In exchange, freedom.

The truth is that it is not necessary to go crazy and leave everything behind to achieve peace. It is only necessary to find what connects you with your essence, which we tend to slowly forget.

Dare to go beyond the surface and suddenly dreams start to come true. (Disclaimer: I am not high or have gone bananas yet)

After living in almost a dozen countries and exploring 39 others for the moment. After having died and been reborn as the Angy that I am now (and I still haven't smoked anything), there are two things that are always present in me. The love of discovering new places, people, and experiences, and my need to write. If I follow them, I remain at my essence and real, and so, at peace.

With travel as the axis that connects all my points, my intention with this blog is to share my adventures in the form of fascinating stories and also some takeaways on what I have learned along the way.

Maybe my experiences will inspire you to also dive into your essence, get to the bottom, and keep you in that state where your life looks more like the first day of summer than a rainy Sunday before a long week.

In summary, let's have a laugh and entertain you for a while, at least while you wait for the summer vacations to arrive.

In my next adventure, I will tell you about how going abroad ruined my life or at least it certainly transformed It. If you don't want to miss my next adventure, stay tuned because this is just the beginning. I have a lot of ideas and gifts in mind for you.

I don't want to miss your adventures