A year on from getting denied a U.S Visa

This time last year I was denied a U.S Visa.

I'd travelled by overnight megabus from my home in Edinburgh to London and spent the first sunny day of the long British Winter in the United States Embassy, my mind racing with images of a North American Summer as I passed the time flicking through tourist brochures on Southern California. During a particularly exhausting Winter, I'd conjured up images of bikini-clad Californian beaches as I breathed stale Scottish air around my flat. It got me through the Winter knowing I would soon be experiencing a "real" Summer in the U.S. I was crushed when after a four hour wait for a five minute interview, I was told I didn't have "significant enough ties to the United Kingdom" and to "try again in a few years time once I had more assets". Whatever that means. This didn't stop me. And I learned that getting denied the Visa was integral to where I am today. As I write, I sit on the steps of my friend Taylor's house in Wellington, New Zealand. If you'd told me that getting denied the Visa would've led me to being here, I don't know if I would've believed it. But the last year has taught me that everything has a funny way of working itself out in the end. And that it might not always make sense at the time, but to trust.

I decided to reapply for the Visa. This time, for 90 days which is the standard time an Australian is given when visiting the United States. After posting about getting denied the Visa, I had a handful of American friends jokingly offer me their hands in marriage. One of these friends was Taylor, an American I'd met briefly at a party in Madrid several years earlier. We started talking and this year when I mentioned I was going on a road trip from my home of Perth to Melbourne and was thinking of visiting New Zealand, he suggested joining him on an adventure.

It's crazy to think that if I hadn't been denied the Visa, I could very well be sitting on a very different friend's steps, drinking a totally different chai latte. About to set off on a totally different adventure. That I wouldn't have met the people I did during my shorter stay in the United States. I might not have met Chris in San Diego who inspired me to start playing guitar and in term, the ukulele. I might not have met Liv, who inspired me to start writing and to follow my creative dreams. I wouldn't have had the timing to catch up with old friends I'd met travelling Europe or to cross paths with those whose friendships I now hold close. I wouldn't have spent 3 months hitchhiking around Canada - something which has ultimately shaped me into the person I am today.

At the time, I was heartbroken. Getting denied the Visa hurt. I had my good friend Caitlin tell me that this would change the course of my life and at the time I found it hard to not focus on what could've been. All the images and dreams I'd conjured in my mind. But ultimately, getting denied that Visa was one of the best things that happened to me, it just took me a little while to realise that. It's something I bear in mind when things don't really seem to be working out. There will be people you meet, life-changing experiences, new opportunities and a multitude of lessons to be learned from when your path and your plans are abruptly changed. It's definitely made me consider the power of the individual more and how other's actions and decisions can influence yours. It's something I bring into every encounter with another person; why I choose to be optimistic and to practice kindness, compassion and empathy. If I smile at a stranger on the street and they pass it forward. They smile at another stranger on the street who smiles at another stranger on the street. There's a whole lot of coincidences and chance encounters that have led me to New Zealand. Tomorrow I'm setting off on a whole new adventure. And I'll be honest, I'm pretty scared. I'm wondering if I've bitten off more than I can chew. But to quote Chuck Palahniuk, "Find out what you're afraid of and go live there".

And in this case, it's tramping around the South Island of New Zealand for a couple of months. I've invested in a new backpack, hiking boots and a sleeping bag that wasn't $10 and designed for balmy Australian Summer nights. But I'm excited as much as I am scared. I know that this is going to test me in so many ways. Both physically and mentally. I've done only a handful of hikes in my life, none of which had the word alpine associated with them or involved carrying several days worth of food on my back.

I don't think I can walk away from this experience the same person and that's an exciting prospect. I'm looking forward to sharing more stories from the road, lessons I've learned and people I've met when I return to city. Whenever and wherever that might be. With (hopefully) more upper back strength and not as many blisters as I'm predicting. Big love and good vibes

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