Should I stay or should I go?
We wanted to share a completely different post this week, following up from the four days we had just spent in France (see a couple of pictures on Facebook here and on Instagram here). But things change, emotions change and we decided that it was ok to change our media plan too!
Yesterday evening, when I (Ale) was cycling home from work, suddenly The Clash’s song that gives the title to this blogpost came to my mind and I started to sort-of-sing it. We went to bed and we were still listening to it!
The context of the song is completely different from ours but, somehow, everyone who is about to leave for good or for a long break thinks something along the lines of:
Should I stay or should I go now?
Should I stay or should I go now?
If I go there will be trouble
An' if I stay it will be double
So come on and let me know
In a little more than a month, we will be leaving London for a few months - what will we found when we are back?
In less than a month, we will be leaving our adored flat and adorable flatmates - where will we find ourselves living when we are back?
What will have happened to our family, our friends, our partners at work, our swing dance fellows…? :)
And what happens if we don’t come back? That’s the scary while exciting thought.
Not sure we are ready not to come back but... how many things will come to our way during our trip to Russia, China, Nepal and Myanmar? How many fascinating places are we going to explore and experience? How many inspiring people are we going to meet and work with?
How many beautiful ideas are we going to witness and how many others are we going to make up?
And how many times are we going to ask ourselves ‘should we stay or should we go’ during our trip!
I remember the number of times I asked this question to me when I was traveling across South America a few years ago.
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In the finca where I was wwoofing in Argentina (the question came up 2-3 times a week during the month I spent there!).
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On the Isla del Sol in Bolivia - by far, the most beautiful place I have ever visited in the world.
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In Colombia when I was enjoying the reunion with my old flatmate, the warmth of her family, the colours and energy of the cities.
I didn’t stay in any of those amazing places. I went on with my trip but didn’t actually ‘go back’ anywhere. At some point, I just found myself in London… and a new life started there!
When I think of that time of traveling and when I prepare for any new traveling, there is another song I always think of. It’s ‘Al final de este viaje’ by Silvio Rodriguez and it sings:
al final delviaje partiremos de nuevo,
al final delviaje comienza un camino,
otro buen camino que seguir
descalzos contando la arena.
Quedamos los que puedan sonreír
en medio de la muerte, en plena luz.
How do you prepare for your travelling or for your changes in life? Any inspiring songs to share?!