Who do you think you are?

“Who do you think you are?” is such a great question.

Whether it is from someone who thinks they are above us and are ‘oh so offended’ by the way we have behaved or spoken, or whether it is a question we ask ourselves.

When we ask ourselves this, it gives us the opportunity to get really clear on who we are.

It doesn’t matter what others think of us.

It doesn’t matter who others think we are.

All that matters is who WE think we are.

Me?

I know I a full blown fire cracker, whirlwind of energy and laughter.

I can’t help it.

I love life!

Why would I not?

I get to wake up each day after nearly having lost my life three times now, once in an overdose in my teens, once due to ill health during my second pregnancy and the last time going overboard during a boat delivery from La Linea to Lanzorote last year.

But I am still here, a cat with nine lives I am not, but I have a zest and love for life which has come from experiencing and witnessing certain events throughout my 42 years of life.

You see when we travel alone and open ourselves up to people and cultures around the world, who we are really truly emerges. The person inside who has been moulded by our homeland, the society back home, culture, it all starts to blend and mould with the new ones.

Now obviously if we stay rooted into our existing beliefs and only mix with others from our homeland, such as the many ex-pat communities around the world, then we never really shake off the bullshit we get covered in whilst staying in our homeland.

And yes, I get it, not many people get to travel. Not many people can afford to travel… or so they think.

When I left the UK to do this global book tour and curcumnavigation, I left with almost £20,000 of debt due to the #ScotlandSaga (which you can read about in Crossing The Line) and after a 5 week holiday with my boys before they flew home, I was travelling on a wing and a prayer, coupled with a huge amount of belief and faith in myself.

And of course I just simply trusted the process and that everything I wanted would work out in my favour.

And here I am a couple of years later sat on the balcony of an apartment in the heart of Buenos Aries, listening to my favourite band, wiggling my booty and singing along to the tunes, having made it almost half way around the world.

My book tour as a self published author is going well, I meet people all the time who as soon as they find out what work I do they are straight onto Amazon purchasing my books. I am booked for podcasts around the world and I meet new clients all the time.

My business is growing and so is the impact I am making.

But all that aside, the biggest transformation is in the way I respond to things. Meeting people from all around the world, with different beliefs, communication styles, cultures and attitudes has made me a much better human being.

And without being too cheeky or self indulgent, I know I was an amazing person before too!

(My mother made sure of that! I still hearing her shouting “Dawn Louise!” in my head if I act out, start feeling sorry for myself or even think about thinking about doing something or thinking something which doesn’t keep my feet firmly on the ground! Well for a sailor girl anyway!)

I have come to realise that travel is one of the very best vaccinations we can give ourselves, and not just against diseases but also against prejudices, ignorances and the ugliness of human nature.

Yes there are a few unpleasant people in this world, but we never know what they are going through. We never know the journey they have taken, nor do we see their sadness behind their bright beaming smiles.

I have had my own ‘very British’ attitudes turned upside down and put through the washing machine, the dryer on full spin, and even the mangle for good measure.

I have become more confident in who I am, what I can achieve and have a much more open mind to waht is truly possible.

And yes, this blog is called The Mermaid’s Guide to Hitch Hiking, and yes some of the posts you read have fuck all to do with travel or hitch hiking around the world on boats researching material for my series of books The Mermaid’s Guide, but in many ways, it has EVERYTHING to do with it.

You are seeing me rise.

You are seeing me grow as a person.

You are reading about my journey through life, which is greatly impacted by the travelling I am doing, whilst being away from the most important people in my life (other than myself of course!).

Learning about the visas, tax and regulations I need to abide by whilst being an online entrepreneur with clients around the world, paying me in multiple currencies can, and does, confuse the hell out of me, because it just doesn’t make sense.

It doesn’t make sense on a human level, or a logical level. It makes sense intellectually, but just not on a human level.

We are all citizens of the world.

We all belong where we choose we belong and with all the crazy bullshit happening in the world at the moment, is there any wonder I am considering my options when it comes to whether I wish to remain a British Citizen!?

And if I choose not to, is there a country that even deserves me as a citizen?

And that’s the thing, you knew there would be a thing at some point, who deserves you?