What Risks Have You Taken in Your Life That Have Paid off 2?

This is an interesting question. What some people see as a risk, others do not. Life is different for everyone, I believe. We are all individuals, which is a great thing. That’s one of the best things about being alive. The differences in each of us. I love individuality and I love meeting different kinds of people and I love meeting people from other countries and cultures. Being from Australia is awesome but being an island, we yearn for adventure. We feel that we need to explore different places to see the world. I think this makes our country unique. Now, that’s not to say that people from other countries don’t like to travel but I think that it’s a rite of passage for young Australians to go backpacking after their studies.

Okay, so let’s begin on what I think the risks are that I have taken. Now, once again, what is risk? Taking a chance? Doing something you don’t usually do or don’t feel comfortable doing? As I said, it’s different for everyone. We, as a family have always moved around. By that, I mean moving house or sometimes moving to a different town or state. There were various reasons, usually for business, so it was not so unusual for us. The first time I moved without my family was from the Sunshine Coast in Queensland to Brisbane to live with my girlfriend. This was a risk because it was the first time for me to live with a girl as a couple. It was scary but ended up being a fun experience. We felt all grown up.

The second risk was traveling abroad with the same girlfriend. That was living together and backpacking around Europe for 6 months. What a great experience that was. It was total freedom to go where we wanted and do what we wanted. We bought a Eurobus ticket which gave us the option to visit many countries in Europe with an unrestricted time frame. Well, unrestricted within 4 months. After Europe, we went to the Greek islands for 2 weeks then Turkey for another two weeks. There, we did a scuba diving course, which some would say was also risky. What fun we had. We met wonderful people and swam in the sea which was magical. So peaceful and dreamlike. I would recommend scuba diving if you get the chance. We also took a 3-day boat cruise with a boat owner named Captain Crazy. He was crazy but crazy in a fun rather than dangerous way. I loved that guy.

My most recent risk was moving to Japan. Leaving my family, my friends, my country, my language and the safety of home. Was it worth it? Of course it was. What is life without risk? Boring is what I say. Now, I don’t judge people for taking a different path. I respect people for their decisions. My life is not for everyone, but it’s the only way I know how to live. No regrets is what I say.

Peter

Vocabulary

yearn (v) - to have an intense feeling of longing for something
explore (v) - to travel through an unfamiliar area in order to learn about it
rite of passage (phrase) - a ceremony or event marking an important stage in someone's life
grown up (adj.) - adult
unrestricted (adj.) - having no limits
dreamlike (adj.) - having the qualities of a dream; unreal