Fumings from Wanderer Grumpy McGrumpy

This post is about the not so fun part of travel but something that happens nonetheless, just like it happens in everyday life. I’m talking about bad days or days we perceive as bad because of various reasons. Now, I’m not talking about the bad days of being sick. Aside from the common cold I had a a couple of those times on my big trip. Having strep throat and a UTI (urinary tract infection) at the same time while in Skopje, Macedonia was not fun. Worse was having Delhi Belly in India which resulted in a needle full of Gravol being stuck in my backside because I could not keep Gravol tablets or suppositories inside my body (or anything else for that matter). Sorry for the bluntness but sadly it is a travel truth – you are bound to get sick during extended travel. Shit happens (and in some cases, literally). The other bad thing I am not talking about is being robbed. Fortunately I have not been robbed. I hope that does not happen, ever.  Not that close to it, but someone did steal my bagels from the hostel kitchen in Kilkenny despite them being wrapped up in a bag with my name clearly on them. Who steals bagels anyway? If they’d of asked, I would have shared.

What I am talking about is those days filled with small annoyances. Or being very grumpy because you slept horribly or are hungry, fed up or the like. It does happen. Days when everyone around you seems stupid and rude and all you want to do is scream. And cry. Yes, cry. And yell. I am not nice in those moments. I know that. I cry and sometimes yell when I am upset and frustrated. I turn into a 2 year old. It’s not pretty.

After having 2 horrible nights of sleep due to my hostel in Belfast having the worst mattresses ever (and yes, I will rant about this for years to come) I became wanderer Grumpy McGrumpy. Most every little thing grated on my nerves. To me, people were dumber, ruder, more idiotic and in my way. In my mind, I was always right even if I was clearly wrong (insert 2 year old version of Eeva here). I was just wanting to be by myself but many little things annoyed me. Many of them! I still get irked thinking of it (I gotta let go of it don’t I?)

So what is my non-succinct point? It is that despite all the wonders  you can see and experience during travel there are going to be days that are annoying and tiring and irritating. Things go wrong. You wake up on the wrong side of the bed. It is something you just have to deal with. It’s learning about yourself. For me, I know I will need to keep quiet and hang out with just me. Besides something will distract me eventually from my grumpiness (again, like a 2 year old) and the wonder of travel still is there. So when you have days that are not as optimal as you hoped – remember it will pass, know yourself and react accordingly. In my case it is to remove the 2 year old from my mindset. Oh, and a nap.

In the end,  I did have good times in Belfast – the Giant’s Causeway was stunning and beautiful. We even drove past Castle Black for you GoT fans. And I heard some damn good blues music on my last night. Sometimes you have a bad day or two but still travelling is amazing. It does a soul good to run away.