You're Alone in a Foreign Country, How Do You Feel?

My first first solo trip in another country and giving my emotions time to catch up with this huge change.

My first solo trip to another country was in Rome, Italy. I had finished backpacking with a friend & my cousin - the next stop was Rome for two months in an Airbnb - pictures below. (https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/38742532?source_impression_id=p3_1646438053_YlsFMqvrnA3EZrOz). S/o to Eva ;)

Heading via train from Venice to Rome I was NERVOUS. I went to the bathroom at least 11 times (not an exaggeration) on that short train ride. Me, a woman alone, in a huge city, not knowing the language? My nerves were getting the best of me.

I arrived at Termini Station, got off the train and walked through the gates. I was the trying to find the tram to switch onto to get to where I was staying. I asked a few people and they were saying to go back through the gates. The problem was - I didn't have a ticket. I was running very low on funds at this point. I was waiting for my investments to transfer into my account I use for traveling. I tried to get through a couple times (obviously my old ticket didn't work). I tried to buy a new ticket, but all I could find were some for 70 euros. I was frustrated, scared & feeling so alone at this moment. I slid down the wall in front of a shop with what felt like a hundred pounds in my backpack and I cried. I tried soooo hard to hold back my tears but they ran down my face anyway. So here I was, silently crying at a Termini Station.

ALWAYS let yourself feel your emotions before you give a response or look for a solution.

I was lost af. But then I remembered all of the self healing, workbooks, techniques and things my therapist taught me over the past year. As crazy as it sounds, I glued that into my subconscious everyday for months before this trip (and thank God for it- it saved me from completely abandoning my trip altogether). I told myself I would give myself time to cry, time to be frustrated, time to be angry & sad, etc. I gave myself 5 minutes. I set a timer on my phone and everything. And believe me when I say I felt all of those emotions FULLY, in public, for those 5 minutes. I cried the entire time. When my timer went off I thought to myself, "Okay, now you have to find a solution because you, quite literally, have no other option." The options I came up with were A) Text my Airbnb host B) Get a taxi. These were honestly such easy solutions. I texted my host and she told me I actually have to walk two blocks from the train station to the tram. My problem was solved within a couple minutes. My body and brain were ridden with so much anxiety that I couldn't find simple solutions in the moment. This was a very big lesson I learned that day. ALWAYS let yourself feel your emotions before you give a response or look for a solution. Your emotions need to be felt or they will hold you back/ get the better of you. This can be very difficult to remember while traveling because you have no personal space in a public setting. The best advice I can give is to work with what you've got. If you have to cry in public, cry in public.