Ais & I in India

When I was 21, I travelled to Nepal and met a Canadian girl called Aisling. We became close friends and her carefree, up-for-anything nature made the wonders of Kathmandu seem all the more magical.

One night, while making our way to a Bryan Adams concert in Kathmandu (no kidding), we walked past a tattoo parlour. Aisling and I looked at each other – eyes sparkling – and walked into the tiny room, lit by a single lamp.

I think you can guess what happened next. We each chose to get tiny tattoos of Nepali words. Aisling’s name means ‘to dream’, so she got this in Nepali script on her foot. I wanted something that was personal, but somehow summed up exactly how I was feeling at that very moment – falling in love with a foreign country and a different culture, all the while learning skills volunteering in an orphanage that I felt could somehow help me to change  the world for the better. I had made a pretty huge decision in going to Nepal, and it was a decision that had scared the living daylights out of me at the time but ended up being one of the best things I’ve ever done. I wanted to remind myself that when something feels right, to always be brave enough to take that leap of faith, no matter how scary it seems.

So, I got ‘to jump’ – uprahnu – in tiny Nepali script on my ribs.

Mid last year, Aisling passed away unexpectedly. And now, whenever I see that tattoo, I’m reminded of how I was feeling that day with her in Kathmandu.

After returning from Nepal a few years ago, falling in love and starting a job in a career path that I loved, I’ve gone and taken another leap of faith – this time, handing in my notice and buying a one-way ticket to South America with my boyfriend. I’ve finished my post-grad studies in journalism and spent a couple of years learning amazing skills in a rewarding job. But I knew something was missing, and that was adventure – really living life to the fullest every single day; getting up in the morning and feeling the thrill of the unknown of what that day will hold. So, I built up my courage again, and I jumped.

We arrive in Rio de Janiero on the 6th of April, and I know that – somewhere out there – Aisling is smiling and dancing and nodding her head in support.