Meet Crunch: Love Child of The World
My story is not unusual in terms of travellers, but it may be unusual because, well, I’m a Singaporean. I don’t know if you know much about Singaporeans, but we’re not a very risk-taking bunch. We spend most of our childhoods deeply immersed in school, or extracurricular activities so that we get to the best universities to get the best and highest paying jobs, which we do for most of our adult lives, faithfully hitting every milestone of car, condo, spouse and kids, not necessarily in that order, but that’s highly encouraged too. We travel for two weeks on annual vacations, and spend the other 50 weeks of the year complaining about this and that. So, compared to this...I am unusual. You, see, I’ve been travelling for over 3 years now, and I don’t intend to stop.
I wasn’t always strange. I went to a good school, a good university on scholarship, and even got a good job after university. But at some point, I decided that enough was enough and that I wanted more from life than this depressing existence my society had carved out for me. I’d always wanted to see more of the world, but my first big overseas sojourn really infected me with the travel bug. When I was 21, I went on exchange to Portugal for four months and then spent another two months backpacking around Europe. I knew then that that was something I loved, and really wanted to keep doing. I had to return to Singapore to complete my studies, but I was determined to get out and see the world after graduation.
As the idea took seed and I gave it more and more consideration, I contemplated my options. My bank account protested my immediate-departure plan, so I took a high-paying job teaching English at a reputable tuition agency in Singapore, and skimped and saved every dollar in any way I could. Eventually, when I had saved up a decent amount, I bought myself a one-way ticket to Buenos Aires, Argentina, and quit my job. I had no plan, beyond where I was going to stay for the first three days in Buenos Aires. Beyond that, let the wind take me where it will, I told myself.
I ended up spending a full year in South America, visiting Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Bolivia and Peru during my time there. I returned to Singapore for a few months to visit my family, before continuing on to Ecuador and Colombia. A friend of mine invited me to go sailing in the Caribbean at that point, an offer I accepted - I spent six months living and sailing on the boat from Ft. Lauderdale, USA through the Caribbean to the US Virgin Islands. My bank account was pretty empty by then (I withdrew my last 200USD and closed my bank account), so I took a job teaching English as a Second Language in Costa Rica for eight months, followed by another five of the same on a island in Panama. I headed back to Singapore to spend a few months with my family, and now I’m back on the road; this time, backpacking India.
It’s been an incredible three years of travel, and I’ve experienced so much, I’ve learnt so much. I’ve almost died falling off the side of a volcano. I saw amazing wildlife in the jungles of the Amazon. I’ve almost been lost at sea. I’ve swum with dolphins and turtles and whales. I’ve been robbed and spent ten days stranded in a foreign country with no money, no credit card, no passport. I’ve become part of so many people’s families that I’ve lost count. I’ve learnt that I have far more strength, and courage than I thought I had. I’ve learnt that there are far more people who are kind and warm, than there are robbers and thieves. I’ve survived my adventures through my own wits and abilities, but more often than not, I’ve survived because of the kindness and unselfishness of others.
And now...my plan is not really a plan. My plan is to travel, and keep travelling, and to tell people that they too can travel; that is it not a mere pipe dream. In the last year or so of my travels, I have taken up several projects that allow me to work and earn remotely, while continuing my travels. Such is the magic of modern technology! I work online as an English teacher on several websites, tutoring students from around the world via platforms such as Skype and Google Hangouts. I also do some freelance copywriting work for a podcasting company, and between these two, I can just about make ends meet, so long as I don’t go crazy on a wild night out. So for now, I will continue to travel and see the world, have great experiences and meet as many of the amazing people of the world as I possibly can. Because I believe that the world is a wonderful place, and I was put on this Earth to enjoy and appreciate as much of it as I possibly can.
About the Author:
Goes by the name Crunch, but answers to a variety more, depending on where in the world she is. Die-hard traveller, CouchSurfer and WorkAwayer, determined to see the world or die trying. Firm believer that there are no bad experiences, only good experiences and good stories. Follow Crunch and her adventures here!
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