My daughter Isabelle has always been curious about the world and diverse cultures. She would rather go somewhere than buy things (which is unlike me – I need to explore my attraction to materialism in therapy). Thus, it makes sense that she has chosen a career in international relations. I suppose this is a long opener to my next topic which is ADVENTURE and how it supports health and wellness.

As I am writing this blog, which is by hand using a notebook (rocking the retro vibe),  I sit in the Istanbul airport waiting for my flight home. I have just visited Isabelle in Baku,  Azerbaijan where she is finishing an internship with the state department. I made a promise awhile back that  if she was brave enough to live in a foreign country then I was going to put on my big girl pants and  visit her. However, I wish she would be interested in more conventional countries like France, Spain, Greece, or Portugal but that is not my gal. So, my future will involve travel to places I never knew I wanted to go.

 Azerbaijan is a beautiful country that has presence in both Eastern Europe and Western Asia having been at one time part of the Soviet Union. It is described sometimes as the Paris of the East and the Land of Fire. Azerbaijan is a country rich with oil and natural gas therefore deserving its nickname (and you can smell it in the air – yuck). This secular nation has a majority of Turkic and Muslim population. Who knew??  I certainly never even realized it existed until she announced her choice for her assignment six months ago.

Well, you may ask, what does this have to do with wellness? I honestly believe that taking a trip off the beat and path and venturing out of your  comfort zone has powerful benefits to your health. Now I am not going to act like the advocate for travel because it took a forklift to get me to leave the house and my usual routine. I mean I am the guiltiest of all my friends and family of living a mundane life. There was definitely  a lot of internal himming and hawing going on before  embracing the 15 plus hour travel. However, when I finally sat on the plane, all my doubt disappeared as I was excited to see Isabelle and a different part of the world. It was a time to be present and absorb Azerbaijan and their people. In full confession, I was not totally brave as I had a major safety net, my brother and sister-in-law ,who are world travelers, volunteered to accompany me. I am really glad they did as very few people spoke English and I was a foreigner in their territory. We ate the local cuisine,  stayed off the Caspian Sea,  enjoyed site sightseeing and just being together with Isabelle. I even ran into an old friend/ colleague and ended up having dinner together (talking about weird coincidence).

My sense of adventure was put to the test when we booked an excursion to the Guba, Khanbalik, and Candy Mountains. We drove about one hour and half from Baku where we first viewed sandy mountains that had red stripes from the iron deposits. As we drove to our next destination the climate changed to cooler, lush greenery which was beautiful with rocky streams and clean air. Little did I know that the fun was just about to begin. We drove up and down the mountains on very narrow paths with no options for error. Our ears popping, dizziness, some nausea and hearts beating as we let the day unfold. We stopped at a Jewish settlement “Caucasian Jerusalem” to visit an operational synagogue and saw children hiding and interested in our presence. With all the tension in the region, there was more guarded behavior from the locals. As we continued to drive up the mountain with no end in sight, and about 6 hours into the tour, we wanted out!!!  We thought about options to order food takeout rather than making the next stop. Where is Door-Dash when you need them? It was explained to us that we could not turn around until we reached the remote village where we were scheduled to experience the local cuisine. The Chinanu settlement dates back to the Albanian period. This population is considered the oldest and highest inhabited place in the world and speaks a language dating back 4,000 years. We were also informed that we were about 13 Kilometers from Russia (I should have read the fine print in the tour overview). OMG – I had a moment that we could be totally erased from existence, and no one would know where we were or what happened. What the hell were we doing? Signing up for this excursion, which was too long, provided few potty breaks and no emergency plan for evacuation. After my panic attack subsided, it turned out to be a great experience as we were served a lunch of traditional home cooked food.  I looked around the room, I started to laugh as I saw a Sony flat screen TV and the grandfather who wore a tracksuit with lots of bling on his fingers.  This family was making bank from all the tours coming their way. He was sweet and we tried to communicate by exchanging a few French terms like bon appetit, bonjour and tres bien. He was thrilled when I gave him some US coins and then our eyes locked and we bonded (or at least that is what I tell myself)! This tour was thrilling and scary at the same time. I was also shocked about the amount of traffic going both ways and the typical minor road rage situation when someone was blocking the path with animals. Figures, the same general driving issues as anywhere else.  Needless to say, I was relieved that we did not drive off the mountain and my terror subsided when our tour guide shared, they spend about 300 days on these mountains in far worse driving conditions. We were fine at the end of the day and now have cherished stories to be told for years to come.

We also toured the old city and went to museums, learning more about their history which goes back millions of years, which blew my mind. I also met Isabelle’s colleagues and learned to play Pickleball – ha – who would have guessed? However, the most fun was just those  quiet times taking strolls on the boardwalk next to the Caspian Sea and people watching, which was truly a wonderful experience from every account. It made me recognize the importance of health includes being curious, expanding my horizons, challenging myself and being present in the moment with no distractions. The world is such a vast place and it makes you realize that your existence, issues and fears is a very small part of a bigger system.

 I am glad I will be home soon and proud of myself for going for it. I also hold more admiration for Isabelle’s courage to live in a foreign land, very far away for a summer as she continues to stamp her global citizen card.  For me, there is no place like home, but I came back being more informed, relaxed and invigorated to be productive in my daily life. I acquired several funny stories, bonded with the family, and expanded my knowledge. This was just what the doctor ordered, and it feels great.