"Listen to the voice inside you"

TRAVELLER ID

Nome: Aroun

Instagram:  the_positivee

Facebook: Aroun Belachew

Age: 26

Nationality: Italian

Peculiarities: Able to adapt to any situation

Type of traveller: Free traveller

Most beautiful place you've been to: Malawi

Motto: Life is the real voyage

You travelled throughout Africa. What motivated you to take this trip?

Before this trip I was in the army for 5 years. I enjoyed that kind of lifestyle because I like to train, go outdoors and be with a group. During the last year, though, I had like an interior awakening, especially during Covid. We were sent home for more than a month, and I took advantage of this time to improve things about myself. I did a lot of physical exercises, started doing yoga and meditating. In short, to be more introspective. During this period I heard a "voice" telling me that what I was doing was beautiful but the goal wasn’t congruent with the ideals I had inside. After all, being in the military is about training for war. In the army there are many rules and I wanted to feel free, free to express myself, with positive ideals. When I had to go back to my job in the army, I lost that equilibrium I had found. I thought I needed a big change. I always wanted to travel and I always wanted to see Africa, since I’m  Ethiopian on my father's side and Iranian on my mother's side. My parents separated when I was little and I didn’t see my father much. This part of my origins was a little “foggy” and wanted to clear it up.

How did you travel?

I travelled alone for a year. I left South Africa living day by day, never looking ahead. I had my backpack, my tent, everything I needed. I had my house on my back. I left myself very open and used my intuition to decide whether to stay longer,  accept an invitation, etc. It's hard to give an explanation of the whole trip because every day was different. From South Africa I went to Mozambique, then went up to Malawi, Namibia, slowly making my way to Ethiopia. I also hitchhiked in Congo, Cameroon, Chad and Sudan. Between rides, people hosting me and offering me food, I almost travelled for free in those areas. I had gotten into a loop (smile) and every time I took a ride I met people who then hosted me and referred me to other friends who lived in other cities.

How did you support your trip?

I worked five years and at a certain time in my life I wanted a nice car. I worked hard to be able to buy it, but at some point I thought, "This car is nice, but life is even more so." I sold the car and travelled with that money. I still have some money saved up. I hope it will be enough for me to go to Australia (laughter), which is my next stop.

Were there any unexpected problems?

The trip at the beginning was very smooth. The whole southern tip of Africa was a joyful and carefree part of the trip, and I managed to get visas without any problems. Then there were several hiccups because I was looking for more adventure and I got it. Toward Congo, Cameroon, and Central Africa Republic, the trip started to take a different turn. It started to get difficult to get visas because of corruption and quadrupled prices. In Angola, just before entering Congo, my phone was stolen. The moment I entered Congo I had no phone, I didn't know where I was going, and people spoke French. I don't know how to express the feeling of being in Congo without a phone and people speak a language you don't know. You feel it's an adventure, so you keep on going because it feels right. I was never afraid but I was a little concerned when I was arrested in Chad. They said I hadn't registered with the immigration office in that small town. I didn't know anything about it. They wanted money but I said I wouldn't give it to them and then I was told they would call Italy to get the money. My whole world had fallen apart because I already ended up in the Italian newspapers as "missing” when I lost my phone. I hadn't really ended up in jail but they locked me inside a room without a bathroom for about a day. It was stressful because I couldn't sleep since in Chad the mosquitoes aren’t like anything that you would find in Italy. Eventually the situation got resolved and they let me go without paying anything.

How did this trip change you?

The trip to Africa was my first trip abroad. I didn't even know English. I could talk for days about how this trip changed me. I didn't just have one kind of experience. I had so many varied experiences. I met many people, and from each person I learned something. From every country and every situation I learned something. The most obvious thing I have realized is that I can make something happen, when I really want it. Thinking back to the experience of the stolen phone, I laughed. I reread the diary pages from before my phone was stolen. I had written that I was in a beautiful place, that the phone had no reception, that I was feeling great, and I had asked myself, "What kind of life would it be without a phone?" When I reread it, after my phone had been stolen, I said to myself, "I’m attracting these situations. You attract all things, both good and bad. I became, let’s say, a "conscious attractor”.

Did you have any special encounter?

I don't feel like picking one person over another because I met really special people, among the tourists and the locals. I found myself hosted by people who had nothing, people who had just a roof over their heads, but nevertheless shared what they had. These things make you reflect. I walked into these houses and there was nothing. A simplicity in living and inviting people. It's a completely different culture. You walk into a house here in Italy and there are a lot of material things, a lot of complications. We moved away from this simple connection.

The most meaningful thing you learned during your trip

I learned that you really have to listen to the “voice” inside you. For me this voice got louder during Covid because I had to stop and spend more time with myself. Even if this voice tells us something we don't know, that scares us and seems impossible, if we listen to this voice inside, life just changes, becomes joyful. You get up in the morning and you have a vital energy that you don’t get neither from sleep nor from food. It is the fire inside you. It's an energy you feel when the pieces of the puzzle inside you are in the right place.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to travel but doesn't know how to get started?

My advice is to say to yourself "It is not always necessary to know." The mind wants answers. When you start thinking and giving answers, you feed the mind, you give it power. If you listen to this voice inside that says, "Take this ticket and travel," the mind then wakes up and says, "Where are you going? You don't even know English. You don't even know what it's going to be like. It's dangerous. But why don't you get a job and a girlfriend and have a family?" The mind is good at protecting you but it does not provide happiness. The mind doesn’t lead you down the right path, it doesn’t lead you toward happiness. It’s your heart. I'm not saying we shouldn’t listen to our mind. We have it for a reason, but we need to be aware when to listen to it and when not to. Often when you hear a voice telling you to do something, then your mind comes up with a lot of excuses. Many people want to travel but their minds find thousands of excuses not to. Eventually you say, "You know what? You're right, sorry. I stay home, I don't do anything. I go to work, come back, totally safe. I find a girlfriend, a good job, a house, take a mortgage." The mind is happy, and you? Are you happy? You often find yourself with a life on auto pilot. And what about that life energy we talked about earlier, where does it go?