How I've changed in 10 days thanks to Remote Year

It's been ten days in amazing Lisboa and I can't even begin to think about the fact that I haven't thought about batter-dipped fish or coconut shrimp. 

I made work my life from the minute I was accepted into my program in college, and I now realize what a dumb fucking idea that was. Seriously. What the FUCK? I'm 26. Single. And WORKING 70 HOUR WEEKS? *punches self in face*

While I miss the people that I had the absolute pleasure of working with and loving on every day and night, I can not believe what I was missing out on.

The people. The highs. The lows. The views. Oh my god, the views. The walks. The talks. The freedom. The independence. The motivation. The inspiration. The creativity. I've grown immensely and it's only been ten days. 

Here are a few things that I've noticed about the way I live my life now as opposed to ten days ago:

1. I chilled the eff out. 

Why was I always so worried about stupid shit? About things that made absolutely NO difference in my life? Why was I RUSHING to go nowhere? I see it now and I feel dumb. Like, reallllll dumb. 

2. I don't care what people think. 

I'm waltzing around in no makeup in the middle of the day with my hair in a bun and a smile on my face. Instead of dressing casual in jeans and a t-shirt to work (which I loved and thought was amazing) I now have slummed to the epitome of IDGAF - workout clothes to work it is! I'm not saying I was never confident, but embarking on something like this makes me realize that the last thing I care about is other peoples opinions. Everyone is a stranger to me right now and though we're growing close, we're all doing the exact. same. thing. We've sweat together playing a game of futbol in the 100 degree heat and then cleaned up really well for a night out on the town. But everyone is so raw. That's the only word I can think of right now. And it's so refreshing.

3. My creativity has skyrocketed.

Art is everywhere. Inspiration is EVERYWHERE. I'm talking on the side of my building, in a talk I have with a stranger over wine, in a new idea that develops out of mid-air because someone mentioned they used to work in a certain field. I'm drawing again, I'm designing more, I'm writing more (thanks, stupid travel blog) and most importantly, I feel like me.  

4. I've become immensely more positive. 

Not to say that I wasn't surrounded by positivity at home, but there was a negative energy that always lingered. I know that all of this won't be amazing, but so far, everything has been. It's all the way you look at things, and I know that yes, I'll bitch about stuff eventually, but right now I'm on the high, so I'm going with it. These people all did something crazy for their own reasons, and while I may not get along with every single person super well, everyone's giving off good vibes. And it rubs off. 

5. I've gained a new family. 

I don't even know these people yet they listen to my weird stories about my life. They lend me money for wine. They share their wine. We drink wine. Mainly, we're on this new wine diet. But jokes aside, I can already tell that they're going to be my new family. I can't wait to weird them out even more.