Understanding identity after travelling the world with Jema Patterson.

Travelling for 8 years continually teaches Jema about patience, letting go and forming her identity.

About Jema

Jema spent 8 years as a full-time international travel writer.  This year - 2018 - she's experimenting with part-time travel life and having a home base. 

She spends her time writing about transformational travel at halftheclothes.com and co-hosting a podcast about how to be a content creator without losing your mind or selling your soul. 

She blames all her failures AND all her successes on being struck by lightning at the age of 18.

“I wish that I would have been more willing at the time to ask for help.”

— Jema Patterson

When coming home...

• Emotions Jema faced - Joyful as well as jarring.

• What changed for Jema - Had a different perspective on things like ‘how big the roads were,’ ‘What she could and couldn’t find in the grocery story,’ ‘driving on the other side of the road.’ Having an identity shift.

  • Jema explains the Theory of identity development

    • Identity Diffusion - have not created an identity.

    • Identity Foreclosure - absorb the culture around you and you.

    • Identity Moratorium - unsure of what is really happening.

    • Identity Achievement - coming to terms with who you are.

• How Jema supported herself - Accept and realise that her identity has changed. Journaling on some questions that spring to mind. Ask your friends to help you. Have faith. Trying to find podcasts or videos or structures to support you.

  • Ted Talk - How to quit your life and reboot.

  • Ted Talk - How to find your life purpose in 5 minutes.

• How Jema used her mindset - More patience with herself, more willing to change expectations. Learning to let go.

• 3 Lessons learned from travel and reverse culture shock

1. Having patience.

2. The perspective shift.

3. Travel has taught Jema to rest.

• Advise to herself for returning home - Its ok to ask for help. Being humble and worthy of the support around and people willing to help her.

“I love the perspective shift that comes with travel, I don’t know if I’m ever going to settle down.”

— Jema Patterson

Links

• Website: halftheclothes.com

• Half the Clothes Instagram

• Half the Clothes Facebook

• Ticket to Blog Podcast: ticket2blog.com

• Ticket to Blog Instagram

• Ticket to Blog Facebook

Life changing education in the Solomon Islands with Mellita Jones

Mellita took a trip to the Solomon Islands for a teacher education program where she met Esther who completely transformed her life.

About Mellita

Mellita is a lecturer in Science Education. Her involvement in overseas teaching and learning experiences began in 2010 when she led a small group of six pre-service teachers on a 4-week teaching practicum in the Solomon Islands.

Ten years later the program, which runs for the month of November every year, has grown to 20 pre-service teachers, three university staff members and two schools in Solomon Islands. It is a program close to Mellita's heart, and her work in the space has led to a number of other international engagements including writing the teacher education program for the Pacific Region through UNESCO, working in Fiji and Kiribati with students and teachers, and recently, an appointment as the coordinator for international community engagement at her university.

Mellita is in the process of starting up a Foundation - the Esther Education Foundation - which will be a charity to raise money to support the education of women and girls in Solomon Islands. As the name suggests, meeting Esther, hearing her story and sharing her journey has inspired the creation of this foundation.

“You realise how quickly we judge things by exetrnal types of appearances and yet how often that can just be so miss placed, those judgments.”

— Mellita Jones

When coming home...

• Emotions Mellita faced - Feelings of guilt, sadness and despair - how do you help people in poverty. This became an important part of her life.

• What changed for Mellita - Having a different perspective on a place and judging a society based on first experience which can be so miss placed. Changed the ways she lived, dietary changes and changes within her family. She changed her family gift giving at Christmas and instead one member of each family shares the story of the charity they selected and why they chose it.

• How Mellita used her mindset - She changed personally and professionally and now teaches and shares the stories she has learned in her lectures. She ensures not to preach to other people and understands her students are on their own journey. She has become an activist for education, gender issues, climate change and human rights.

• 3 Lessons learned from travel and reverse culture shock

1. The world outside of our own home is an incredibly rich one so take any opportunity to experience and be open to the learnings.

2. Look at things without judgement and if you do have judgement look to see if there is another way to look at it.

3. Be kind.

• Message for others after returning home - Be kind, reflect on your own life and be equitable and fair.

“Try to be kind and live in a way that refelects kindness to everybody.”

— Mellita Jones

Fostering resilience, gratitude and independence during travels with Rowena Mabbott.

Rowena stepped out of her comfort zone and begun to form her independence. She now helps others through difficult transitions.

About Rowena

Rowena is a Life Coach and writer and was bitten by the travel bug early with her first round-the-world trip at age eleven. Since then she has travelled to attend school in the US, lived and worked in the UK, travelled through Europe and Africa. Rowena loves planning family travel and is now committed to ensuring her two boys are also bitten by the travel bug.

As a 16-year-old, Rowena attended school in the midwest of the US over Thanksgiving & Christmas. Then, as an 18-year old she worked as a housemistress in an English boarding school for 12 months on a GAP year, travelling through the UK and Europe on weekends and during the school holidays.

Both experiences tested Rowena's resilience and broadened her view of the world putting her out of her comfort zone and living with people she either barely knew or who were complete strangers. That alone was an adjustment. Rowena also became much more aware of how fortunate and grateful she was to live where she does

“Travelling is really different and it’s amazing but its also quite a good reminder about how fortunate we are that we don’t have to have that experience of living in one space and not know anything about anywhere else.”

— Rowena Mabbott

When coming home...

• Emotions Rowena faced - She felt lonely and alone with no friends. She felt like she didn't fit in anywhere. She felt uncomfortable and a sense of longing to head back to the UK.

• What changed for Rowena - Willing to meet other people (and her how people) and put your self out there. Being friendly and opening conversations.

• Biggest stress - No money and being a complete dependant with no job to return to. Fostering new and old friendships back home.

• How Rowena used her mindset - Used mantras like "you can do this." and "it's not so bad." Knowing that she was stronger than she thought she was because of her travelling experiences. Feeling grateful for her family and living in Australia.

• 3 Lessons learned from travel and reverse culture shock

1. You never know someone else's story and not to judge people based on your own assumptions.

2. Change is a constant but we can choose how we approach it.

3. Travelling is the best way to learn about yourself.

• Advise to herself for returning home - Don't stress out, it will all work out. Give yourself time, find your people and it will all fall into place.

“Everybody has got a story and unless you take the time to say hello and greet them, you might not know it.”

— Rowena Mabbott

Links

• Website: joyhopelove.com

• Rowena Instagram: @rowenamabbott

• Travel Light Kids Instagram @travellightkids