Journey of Journeys

Hello, dear future readers! How are you feeling today? Have you paused for a moment to truly check in with yourself? I hope all is well anyway, but even if it’s not, that’s okay too. We all have those days!

For a couple of weeks now, I’ve been pondering a thought: “What if I could go on a real journey within myself? What would I discover? What would surprise me? What colors would reflect the inside of me? Would I hear echoes, or maybe some sort of music—my favorite songs perhaps—or would it just be silence?”

This idea soon became an obsession. I couldn’t stop thinking about what I have inside of me.

So, I decided to let my imagination run wild and fully embrace this idea. I’m going on a journey inward!

First, to prepare myself for this journey, I chose a perfect day off—a Saturday, one of the coolest I’ve seen this summer.

Second, I had to decide on a place. Where could I go that would help my mind focus on this journey? I found this amazing spot at Ramal Station in Alexandria, which has just reopened after restoration. It used to be a pastry shop back in the 1920s, but after closing in the 1970s, it has been reopened...

Dear reader, you might have noticed that I’ve decided to take you with me on this strange experience. To give you more insight into the place I chose, it’s an old café with a classic, air-conditioned entrance. The backyard is beautifully decorated with plants and greenery everywhere. They kept the original design and decor but refreshed everything with care.

So, I packed my backpack: a notebook, my Uni-pin 0.5mm pen, my headphones, some money and my credit card, my phone, and another hard-covered notebook I use for sketching and doodling when I’m bored. And with that, I was ready to go!

It took me 40 minutes to get there from home. Once I arrived, I made my way to the cozy backyard and picked a nice, calm spot. A few people were around, given the early morning. Then a friendly waitress approached with a smile. I ordered my usual when I’m trying a new café: one iced latte (no sugar syrup, please!) and a bottle of water.

Ready? Yes, let’s do this.

I spent a few minutes taking in the details of the place around me, just observing while waiting for the iced latte to arrive. I wanted to make sure nothing would interrupt me once I started.

When the friendly waitress placed the iced latte in front of me—a perfect blend of milk and espresso—and the bottle of water beside it, I knew it was time to begin. I took out my headphones, connected them to my phone, and started my playlist to get into the right mood for focusing. A few seconds later, I opened to a blank page in my notebook, holding my Uni-pin pen in my right hand, and waited for that exact moment when I could truly hear my thoughts clearly.

And then it happened—I was there. I had already begun my journey inward.

At first, I was amazed by the flood of memories that surfaced. Precious memories. I saw old visuals of middle school friends, how our classroom looked with decorations and stickers everywhere in the final year, our navy blue

uniforms, and the smell of homemade sandwiches (usually with roumi cheese 😄) Then, memories of my first celebrity crush appeared, and I remembered imagining what life would be like if we ever met!

Suddenly, I was struck by some unpleasant memories from my first year in college. It was overwhelming, being at FOE in Alexandria University (IYKYK!). I tried to search for a peaceful moment from that time, and as the song on my playlist changed at just the right time, I recalled one day when I actually attended all my lectures (Surprisingly, I don’t think I ever did that again in the following years!). Afterward, I wandered through one of the university’s grand halls, alone, listening to “City of Angels” by 30 Seconds to Mars through my headphones, feeling like I was the master of my life, no matter what happened!
After this memory surfaced, I opened my eyes, looked at the blank page, and wrote down just a few words: “Random, but cool.” The feeling of recalling how I used to feel, what I had been through, even the simplest things—it was amazing to sit with myself and remember that there were both good days and bad days, and that I made it through them all.

I took a big sip of my iced latte (since the ice had started to melt, and I don’t like it that way), then turned back to my notebook. “What do you want to know? Why did you come here now? Ask one simple question, and we’ll go back inside to find the answer!” At that moment, I felt like I was having a real, serious conversation with myself.

To make the most of this journey, I tried to organize my thoughts and focus on one simple question, knowing that there must be an answer to whatever I ask. So, I started a new line and confidently wrote: “I want to know what really makes me happy!”

Then, I was amazed by the thoughts that came to me! The first thing that stood out was the feeling of helping someone with something really simple, but knowing it made a small difference in their day. That definitely makes me happy!

So, I wrote in my notebook: “Making a small difference in someone’s day, or even in my own.”

I tried the same process again, and this time I was swept away by one of my daydreams—traveling outside Egypt, visiting London, Rome, and NYC. I imagined myself there, spending my own money on these trips, being completely on my own. The feeling of falling asleep on a plane and waking up in a completely new country, with different people and sights, filled me with excitement.

This made me smile, even now as I write this blog! I returned to my notebook and jotted down a four-line note about traveling abroad on my own. It seemed like I was enjoying this game—asking a question and receiving answers. It was that simple! Feeling more excited, I took another big sip of my iced latte and checked the next song on my playlist: “Too Sweet” by Hozier. (Things couldn’t get better, I thought to myself!)

The next thing that came to mind when I closed my eyes was truly amazing. I realized that one of the things that makes me happiest is moments like this—when I manage to connect with myself and really listen to my thoughts and feelings. Most days, I feel distracted, thinking about work or other things in life. But being fully present, aware of where I am, what I’m doing, and how I feel—that makes me happy!

Dear readers can you imagine that I continued in this process for don’t know how much time till I found myself at the end wrote down in my notebook 25 things that make me happy!
I was super satisfied with the experience itself!
I wrote one final line at the end of the page in my notebook, “thank you for everything, dear me, we will meet again!”

It took me some time to find the right way to close this blog after sharing a snippet of my journey inward. Then I asked myself again, “What do you really want to say at the end?” The answer came to me right away: I want to invite you all on a journey inward yourselves. You can’t imagine how amazing it feels to discover that you’re truly enjoying the process of getting to know yourself better!

So please, on your next day off, pack your bag, grab your headphones, and head to a place you love where you can be yourself. Give it a shot!

And let me know in the comments how it went for you!

For my lovely readers: I wanted to share with you a picture of the quiet corner that helped me reconnect with myself.