Jet lag is very real when you enter this part of the world. It is hard to get a baring on time and sleep. When I initially got here, I was up 3am everyday and would fall asleep between 6-8. After a couple days, my body adjusted to the time zone and I decided to go out and explore Sydney.Second day in Australia, still exhausted, trying to learn the area, only able to use my phone if connected to wifi, and alone, I decided to try to wander around the Sydney area and discover. Back in America, I am used to being really independent and doing things solo when people are not around, so I figured I would try to do this in Sydney. I encountered my first hurdle.
I had stepped outside my hostel, hoping to just be able to walk around and find a park, or an area, and explore. I walked one block from my hostel, no longer connected to wifi, no sense of direction, and I felt completely lost.
I had never felt so alone or lost in my life. I was not in a deserted area and it was only afternoon, but I was in a neighborhood completely unsure of where the road would lead to. A combination of all my initial feelings and new feelings caused me to have a sense of panic. I started to feel as though this feeling would never end because how would I meet people and would I find my way back, will I ever truly be comfortable here.
These questions circled my head as I accepted defeat and went back to my hostel to figure out what to do. It is not easy to be independent in a foreign country without a properly working navigation or a map. I just kept reminding myself that this feeling will pass and I will figure out my navigation problem. I was in a beautiful country and in a place I had always wanted to go to, so one moment was not going to impact my whole experience.
Thankfully, after a good nap and having some social interaction at my hostel, I felt less lost in this country. I was staying in the dorm of a hostel with 12 other girls who were all here on working holidays and independent travelers. They had all ended their days and I got to meet a lot of them and try to make connections. I discovered a map that you download on wifi, then works to get around via transportation and walking, once off wifi. I felt much better traveling alone to destinations when I had a sense of direction and I was finally able to start appreciating my surroundings.