Fernweh

I recently stumbled upon this word and felt like it described my perfectly. Fernweh is a German noun that means the opposite of homesickness; it is a longing for a faraway place that you do not know. It is the urge to discover new places, a need for distance and the desire to experience something far away by escaping the present and travelling. 

Being a tourist in Hong Kong. Walled villages in Tai Po.

My heart has been craving a place that it doesn't yet know. I've had this deep desire to travel and be alone recently. It's not that I don't enjoy the company that I have here and that I don't want to go on a holiday with people, but my heart is longing to be somewhere on my own. I really want to experience complete independence in a place that I know nothing about. Something about this idea has me entirely convinced that this is exactly what will make me happy right now. I'm ready to take the dive. 

Dragon and Tiger Towers in the Lotus Pond Scenic Area in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

In other news, I spent three days in Kaohsiung, Taiwan last week. It was a pretty relaxing city and a nice little getaway. The weather was absolutely beautiful and I enjoyed walking around and seeing all the different temples and buildings and what not. We even managed to fit in a run in the morning on our second day. I've been trying to run a little more consistently but the heat and humidity here makes it very difficult for me to find the motivation to do so. 

Cijin Island in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Beautiful little place only 10 minutes from the city. 

It's actually a bit surreal to me that I'll be going home in less than 50 days. Without a doubt, things are going to fall back into a routine rather quickly. At the moment I'm having a hard time trying to figure out if that's really what I need. As much as I want to travel and continue to explore and experience new things, there is a part of me that misses home each time that I am away. That part of grounds me and reminds me of why my heart still considers one place home. Although Hong Kong feels more and more like home each time I come, there are little things that I miss that I'm always trying to find and recreate. I'm ready to make the most out of the month and a half that I have left and focus on just enjoying myself and living in the present. 

xx.