Hey,

Remember how last week I was talking about big changes coming to the newsletter?

Well, the time has come for me to do something that I have been putting off for a long time. I’ve extended myself as far as I legally can, but the time has come…

For me to leave the Philippines and go back to the United States.

Haha, you probably thought I was shutting down the newsletter for good, huh?

Don’t worry, I chose an ominous, but ambiguous headline just to get you to read today’s letter. I’m not shutting down the newsletter, just yet.

But I am going home.

After 12 weeks, my visa is on the verge of expiration (July 6th to be exact). And last night, when I was laying in bed, I thought to myself: “I need to go home“.

I miss my mom, I miss my son.

It’s time to get back to stability. It’s time to refresh and refocus.

But before I head home, while it is still fresh in my mind, I want to share…

3 Lessons From Traveling For 3 Months In A Foreign Country.

1. Even if you are independent and you enjoy your privacy, traveling solo can be lonesome.

Loneliness hit me like a rock a week into the trip. I am an oddly independent guy, and I usually don’t usually seek out interpersonal relationships. But traveling solo in a foreign country, my independence was put to the test and exposed how much I need close relationships.

Digging through my journal entries from the beginning of the trip, the most commonly occuring challenge was not having people to spend time with. Sure, Filipinos are some of the most friendly people I’ve ever met, but it takes time for me to get comfortable around people. And sometimes you need someone that you can let your guard down around.

It is such a blessing to have people around you that you can rest and socialize with.

2. Traveling is battery acid for your routines, and it will burn away all but your strongest habits.

I think this goes without saying, but being adaptable when you are traveling is absolutely essential.

My rock-solid habits and routines went through the meat grinder, and I had to learn to give myself grace when things didn’t go according to plan.

On the flip side, traveling revealed my “default habits“. Daily morning walks, daily journaling, and avoiding sugar like it is poison.

Overall, I still did a great job with holding to my routines, but I quickly learned that just because you can be disciplined in a fixed, stable environment doesn’t mean that you will be able to be disciplined when your life is upside down.

3. When in a foreign country, knowing how to speak the native language is such a flex.

Navigating my way through the Philippines, I quickly found that even a smidgen of Tagalog was a game changer.

Moving beyond the urban sprawl of Metro Manila, showing locals I could awkwardly stumble through their language was like a secret handshake into the respect club.

I entered this trip with dreams of fluency that were quickly deflated. Tagalog, it turns out, is a heavyweight language, sporting a Category III difficulty rating by the U.S. Department of State, placing it in the league of linguistic beasts like Russian and Hebrew. Its grammar rules are more tangled than my headphone cables after a gym session.

And speaking with with the locals was quite the challenge. hen they speak, it's like trying to keep up with an auctioneer - miss one word and you're out of the game.

Sp while I might be leaving with a Tagalog skill level that's more toddler than Tolkien, I'm oddly more comfortable with it than Spanish - a language I studied for six long years.

I’ll take it!

Anyways, that is it! I am going back to the United States of America.

Next time you hear from me, I’ll be experiencing reverse culture shock and plenty of jetlag!

All the best,

Cliff

P.S. Hold onto your butts, because there is AI-related content on it’s way.