#theaftereffect

I’ve always been a fairly reserved guy, some might say awkward as fuck and shy, but after years of wanting to travel and see the world I finally got my shit together and saved enough money to spend a few blissful months in Europe. This equated to some of the best times of my life, by the end of my trip overseas I, in no way, wanted to return to everyday life. It’s now been almost two years since I left and I am finding it a massive struggle. I’m sure people who travel or have lived overseas can relate, but it feels as though when you return to your old existence things don’t look the same to you, though nothing has changed. It’s like everything was put on pause whilst you were gone and upon your return it all just took up its slow steady pace from the same spot that you left, but here you are with all this life and adventure beaming from your minds eye. Things are ok for the first month or so, as there is the excitement of seeing everyone again, telling stories of those care free nights when you fell in love with olive skinned beauties and lost yourself in the depths of ancient cities. But then the cycle starts all over again, you dream of going back, you dream of the freshly poured beers and the divey Jazz bar you found in the undergrounds of Prague. It’s Monday now, your alarm tone rings that familiar and taunting tune, another early rise and off again to another day of slowly dying for a modest wage. “I’m saving to go back and live overseas” I say to myself, deep down knowing I’ll probably end up in Bali, at best, for a short holiday to try an gain some respite from the mundane. Consumerism swallows my soul as the digits in my bank account dribble down to zero, I cry out to the night sky begging for a little direction, forgetting all along that there is more to life than this. I know this, as I’ve lived it, now memories refreshed by modern technology... Find my journey below, watch, dream, motivate and go!