Off The Beaten Path | Daniel Joseph Pye
THE IDEA OF WRITING
HAS ALWAYS BEEN A
CENTRAL THEME and
constant element in my life.
Though I first started out
with screenwriting when spare time could be
found, my attention shifted to developing
music and exploring the eccentricities affiliated
with writing and producing music. This is
something that still remains vital in my creative
being. However, it wasn’t until I was 21 years
old that I experienced my first long-haul and
long-lasting trip abroad, a trip that forever
changed me as a person and my perspectives
of the world, opening the door to everything
travel and travel related. In all respects it was a
milestone in my life that I am eternally grateful
for and that which has significantly enhanced
my appreciation for the world - the simple
things underlying our existence, and my overall
gratitude for the opportunities presented
and gifted to me. Consequently, I thought it
fitting to be able to share my experiences and
thus began my foray into the sphere of travel
writing.
In fact, part of this article has been written as I
stare curiously out of the window on the train
between Vladimir and St Petersburg, Russia,
where I have been living for the past year. While
I travel as often as I can, this has been the first
time I have properly lived abroad in one place
for an extended period of time. I had been
studying the language and gradually built up
a strong inclination to move to Russia for a
prolonged period of time so as to truly immerse
myself in the culture and people and generate
a first-hand impression of Russian life through
direct socialisation and interaction with the
locals. Given the significant linguist, cultural,
social, and differences in mentality embedded
in Russia in comparison with Australia where
I was previously based, I deemed it to be a
suitable and rewarding challenge to embark on.
Not long after, I found myself sitting on a bus
from Finland to St Petersburg on my way to
begin this intriguing and quite ambiguous new
chapter of my life.
When I first started travelling, I decided to
maintain a personal diary of all my experiences,
concentrating on the mix of people I met, the
places I had visited, and how personal growth
had been achieved. I also wanted to be able
to preserve something to look back on when
old age kicked in. Given the fact that I had
significant time to kill on the road moving
between places, jotting down my impressions
and thoughts whilst they were still fresh in my
mind manifested as a productive and plausible
activity. Whilst I enjoyed sharing these stories
of my adventures and providing useful advice
where possible, my journals sat buried in
a closet and concealed in my room upon
returning home, with the deepest discoveries
sealed and hidden from the world. Over
time, however, it seemed appropriate to share
these experiences with the positive intention
of connecting with people and illuminating
the joys, challenges, and lifestyle choices
encompassed when one decides to travel. It was
then that this opportunity with The Travellist
Issue 4, 2016 | The Travellist
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