Travel, Wellness, Photography, Lifestyle
Travel, Wellness, Photography, Lifestyle
Hi! My name is Andi and I’m a young travel and personal growth blogger.
The Meraki Journals is my little space to write about the pretty and the ugly of life. This, in short, is the purpose of this project: to show both sides of the story, to appreciate the beauty and be truthful about the difficulties, to inspire and to heal. This is the place I wish I had when I was younger.
Whether you’re a student, a traveler, an artist, or simply someone looking for the words they cannot find, I believe you’ll find a home in here.
The Meraki Journals began as a small vision in my mind, a dream to document my journey and everything I was learning about the world and about myself.
I’ve always been captivated by the concept of memory. For years I’ve been keeping a diary (well, multiple diaries) where I write about the things that happen to me, my worries, what I feel and what I think. The truth is, I’ve always wanted to simply remember.
All I’ve written about, all I’ve learnt along the way, I realized it could be valuable to others. Some things you have to figure out by yourself, but other I would’ve been so grateful to know years ago. After finding some clarity of mind, all my struggles became knowledge, and I wanted to share that knowledge.
After months of planning, designing and writing, The Meraki Journals finally became a reality.
I created it not only to remember and treasure my memories, but to help you in your own journey as well.
If you’re looking for travel inspiration, stories full of romance and laughter and disasters, advice, experiences as a female solo traveler or anything in between, this is the place to go.
Special mention to my favorite category: people I meet on the road.
A bit more difficult to define, because there really are no limits!
Here, I write about everything I’d write in my own private journal: student life, my own worries and dreams, journal prompts, things I’ve learnt along the way, therapy conversations, the occasional book recommendation.
I believe, like Oscar Wilde said, that “to define is to limit”, so I like to think about myself in terms of the things that bring me joy. Like meraki, happiness is created with little things, with the little joys of everyday life. And what are we, who are we, if not the things we do in the pursuit of happiness?
So, I’ll tell you what I love.
I love the sea and walking along the coast, fresh flowers and springtime, matcha lattes and pink lemonade. Solo traveling, photography walks, nature hikes. I cherish quality time with the people that I love: my family, my friends, my partner. I absolutely adore reading a good book and annotating it, thinking about it for days after I’ve finished it. I love learning languages, petting animals, watching the sunset, book-shopping. Self-expression, through poetry or journaling. My yoga practice and long car rides listening to The Smiths. Cinnamon rolls bring me joy, the sunlight on my skin brings me joy, perfume brings me joy.
The last couple of years have been a journey.
I’m currently taking my second gap year before (re)starting university. I finished high school in June 2021 and decided to spend a whole year in Paris working as an au pair. Unfortunately for me, that didn’t work out, so I came back after a couple of months and started bartending. This allowed me to travel some more during the summer, which was very exciting! I went to Italy and Portugal, where I met great people and had an amazing time. Right after that last trip I started a Journalism degree in Madrid. Unfortunately for me, that didn’t work out (again). Anyway, I quit and started teaching English online.
So… what now?
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