New Year, Same Luggage

I spent New Year’s morning on Mt. Halla, shivering in a wind that didn’t care about resolutions. Jeju Island is supposed to be a fresh start, but all I could think about was how heavy my backpack felt—how it’s always heavy, no matter where I go. Everyone posts about the sunrise from the summit, but nobody mentions the ache in your legs or the way your breath fogs up your phone screen when you try to take a photo. I wanted to feel changed. Mostly, I just felt cold, and a little bit tired of pretending every trip is a transformation. Sometimes you climb a mountain and come down with the same baggage you started with. #Travel #TravelConfessions #JejuTruth