The outdoors. In mentioning this I am not referring to the usual getting out of the confinement of your space or out through an actual door and just going outside. I am talking about the place where there are no physical doors, where the only thing that stands between you and nature is a thin layer of fabric. That is the kind of going out that I enjoy. I am more of a stay at home kind of person but when I do go out, this is what I usually have in mind. Nature and I.

It had been a while since I went out camping, middle school to be precise. Going out into nature was something I actually forgot I took so much pleasure in. Doing this in Turkey made it even more exciting because it's something I didn't think I would be able to do. Yet again, this was evidence that things may not happen when we want them to but when they need to. A couple of friends and I spontaneously decided to go camping, something I was hesitant to do at first because spontaneous and I don't really see eye to eye. After taking the decision to go camping, I realized that I had been wrong for a while because going on this trip was an adventure that was full of favor and fun and I was glad I took the spontaneous decision.

Right from the beginning of our journey there was a thrill of adventure in us. Which started with us running to catch our ferry boat ride and literally getting there at the last seconds. All thanks to this taxi driver who to me seemed to have watched "The Fast and Furious" far to many times and had me thinking for a second that he could have been Paul Walkers co-driver. Then came the hitchhiking experience which was all thanks to my friend who out of curiosity wanted to see if she could actually do it and indeed she proved to us all that beginners luck somewhat existed.

Our two nights outdoor expedition was not only fun, relaxing but also a test of our ability to stand mother nature. The testing was a physical one especially to our bodies, which took place on the first night. It got so cold at night we barely slept. The chill was hitting from every side and it was all thanks to our excitement on the first day. When we arrived we all agreed that erecting our tents on the bridge above the river was a good idea. At the moment it not only seemed like a good idea but a beautiful one as well. One of the reasons being the view, in addition, the idea of the sweet melody of running water was something I personally was looking forward to. There's something about the sound of water that brings tranquility.

After those two night I learnt some valuable lessons.

1. I understood why in my scouting days a sleeping bag was an essential.

2. I knew that up until those two nights I had been sleeping like a queen despite my bed not being a queen sized one.

3. It's not always about how good something looks to the eye but about what's good and is beneficially.

Apart from the lessons learned, it was a great time of sisterly bonding and experiencing nature in it's fullest form. Doing everything for ourselves and by ourselves with a team spirit and knowing that you have someone to watch your back . There's something about being in the outdoors and being in nature that makes you think of things that actually matter. You come to understand that there are so many things we take for granted, especially things that have been entrusted to us to keep and take care of. Talking about looking after things, after those two night I can officially say that keeping a fire burning is a talent I didn't know I had. On the second night we happened to be the only people at our camp site. So to reduce our hesitation and the cold at night we had to keep the fire burning the whole night.

When it's just you and nature get immersed into the beauty of creation and how beautiful things are when they are left to be.