The journey begins.

After my very first solo trip to Corfu, I worked part-time at the bakery for four months to earn some extra money, and I had driving lessons almost every week. By August, I had saved up nearly €5000, quit my job, and two days before my journey, I had my driver's test, which I failed. That did not stop me from going on my trip; my driver's license could wait. First stop: back to Corfu!

When I arrived in Corfu this time, the Pink Palace was open, and I was curious if Martin and the rest would still be there, since we had lost contact. This also made me very nervous. I walked through town, met my first coworker, greeted my favorite shop owner, and we made our way down to the beach bar, where I saw my old friends sitting at a table with some other volunteers. It was good to be back!

I stayed at the Pink Palace for 6 weeks. Martin and the others had left a couple of days after I arrived, but new volunteers kept coming. These people were some of the most amazing I have ever met. My time here was filled with a lot of laughter, sunshine, and love. We partied every night, learned some Greek, baked in the sun, and swam in the ocean every day.

In Corfu, I got to know another side of me that I hadn’t seen in a long time, or ever. I came out of my shell and got more confident. I could not have done this without the amazing friends I made here. Truly grateful!

Every solo trip and every destination teaches you something new. Here, I learned that I can be very social, and I am most myself when around people I trust and care about, even if I only met them a couple of weeks or days ago. I also learned not to trust everyone. Like my mom kept telling me, "Nine out of ten people you meet are good, but be careful of the one." Some people just don’t have your best interests at heart, and that’s okay. Just be careful around them. I also learned not to make dumb decisions when drunk, or maybe just not to drink too much, and if you do, go to the right people.