Finding a path to my own world.

Maria Matuszewska Start Date: May 20, 2023 - End Date: Sep 19, 2023
  • Cultural Exchange
  • Educational/Research Trip
  • Vacation/Personal Trip
  • Japan
  • Portugal

My Travel Story

by: Maria Matuszewska Start Date: May 20, 2023 - End Date: Sep 19, 2023
  • Cultural Exchange
  • Educational/Research Trip
  • Vacation/Personal Trip
"Finding a path to my own world."


Dear Friends,


I will make this campaign in a form closest to my heart. As a letter to my fellow friends.

I hope that, by reading this, you will also find a new piece of yourself. Perhaps, you are in a position that allows you to help those that need it most. I wish you all the best in your future endeavours.


To give you a glance at my situation I would like to tell you a story.


A long time ago there was a young lady that has been trying her best to achieve what might be seen as worthy and impressive. The young lady worked hard and forgot about what she cared for the most.  

Day by day, she was losing a piece of herself, her freedom, and her dreams. 

She cut off her contact with friends, became cold towards her family, and dropped all things and hobbies that made her smile and laugh to her heart's content.


After a few years of this baseless labour, the girl finally reached a crucial point. A year before her final exams. 

She started applying to universities in hopes of becoming the greatest doctor and a person that starts the domino effect of changes in the medical industry.

But her achievements didn't reach those that needed to see them. She wasn't heard, because, for a long time, she was not listening herself.

Everyday and everynight tightly holding the deadly screens. Without a break, upon waking up, when studying, or right before blowing out the last candle light the screens, alarms, messages, and calls kept munching on the poor girl's soul.

 

The lady broke apart into even smaller pieces as rejections from her dream schools appeared in front of her. On a desk piled with books and practice materials meant to guide her towards a better future. In between video calls delivering lectures  with surface level sympathy and a vague feeling of fatigue in the back of the dark room opposite the computer.


Far away from her hometown the young child hesitated to speak to her parents and teachers as if afraid of their unmet expectations of herself. She kept silent, feasting on her distress.


Amidst this storm, she hecticly prepared for the final high school exam. As expected, the results were excellent. She achieved high grades and was happy to believe this could help in pursuing her dreams.

In the last summer before university, she did not hear any good responses. 


Overthrown by the fear of being incompetent and lacking, the lady started acting out of character, only to be tamed by the harsh words of truth regarding her close and very loved relative.

"Grandma is gravely sick." She could not believe those words and lived in the peculiar and peaceful world of her creation. 

Happy times went by fast and perhaps unnoticed, as she realized there is no way to turn back time. To say those final words of love and reassurance. She was too late.


In those horrible and painful times, she couldn't find a reason to stay on her path, to reach what she had been chasing for so long. 

More exams came, and stressful times followed, even within the family. 

There was nowhere to escape. 

Too many people she wanted to avoid, too many places she didn't want to see, and too many words she loathed to hear.


Amid this hail, she drifted towards parts of the world she never hoped to see. This "World" faced her and put out a helping hand. The strength that pulled her towards this adventure was enormous, and ever since, the lady could not stop but dream and hope to see at least a glimpse of a future that could be hers. 


I hope this story will be as dear to your hearts as it is to mine.


I wish to travel further and discover what the vast world hides. 

My journey in  2023 started in South India, where I stayed for nearly a month. I came back to Poland to finish a pre-medical internship in a clinic and hope to continue my journey. 

The next destination is Japan, where I wish to stay for a month. 

To see the differences in culture and tradition covered in a veil of subtle elegance. The land that restores the broken and finds beauty in the simplest of things. 

The next destination is Portugal. A place where people are people and free time and true life is loved just as much as the strict rules are in the West.

If circumstances allow it,  I hope to continue my journey to Mongolia, where life is different and still holds true to the old ways of living.


Those destinations all connect in their differences. India is a religious place which holds the family as the most important. Japan treasures the broken, Portugal gives life to the dead, and finally, Mongolia teaches to respect the past.


To all of you, my dear Friends, I ask that you kindly help me finance my travels to uncover the world I have never seen. This world will guide me to where I should stand.


Sincerely Yours,

Maria Matuszewska


PS

I believe those trips I chose will make me realise the true values of life and give me further motivation to pursue my goals and dreams.

I am hoping to bring the knowledge of the people of this world back to my family, friends, and people that I have yet to meet.

This journey is equivalent to my life. I know it is going to help me go back in time as a matter of fact, and thus will allow me to reflect on my past. It is a stepping stone to my future, the future I so desire.

All places I plan to visit hold the truth that I need to learn to face reality and continue living while discovering what is important. It is thus a means of letting go of the past whilst not forgetting the lessons it has taught me.


  • Japan
  • Portugal