I woke before anyone else.The dorm was still dark, the hush of sleep thick in the air. I lay there on the top bunk, breathing slowly, meditating beneath the faint rhythm of someone else’s breath.Outside the window, light began its slow bloom—gray-blue at first, then gold at the edges. Silently, I stripped my bed, folded… Continue reading →

That morning, I sat in the common hall of the hostel, typing my diary on my iPad. Everyone else was asleep or slowly preparing their departures. I had my headphones on, music flowing softly, fingers dancing over the screen. Two tall men entered the room and sat on the same couch as me. I noticed… Continue reading →

The rain grew heavier.What had begun as a walk turned into a series of pauses—under eaves, under trees, under stone arches older than memory. Eventually, I surrendered to shelter and stepped inside a wine and beer bar in the heart of Tallinn’s Old Town.The place was warm, golden-lit, still humming from the dinner rush.I asked… Continue reading →

I found myself inside the Niguliste Church Museum.Not just passing through—staying.Two hours passed before I even noticed. I traced the stone saints with my eyes, lingered beside wooden altars, and read the names of anonymous donors etched in centuries-old parchment.Books behind glass.Bibles in Latin.Paint cracking like old hands.And I thought, maybe I’ve become old.But not… Continue reading →

Morning began with the hiss of a kettle and the faint rustle of instant-noodle packaging.The hostel’s common room felt like a library at dawn—two people still sleeping, a pair of backpackers gliding in and out, whispering through half-lit corridors.No curtains on the dorm beds; that’s Northern Europe for you.In Asia, hostels drape each bunk in… Continue reading →

After dropping off my luggage, I stepped into the city.No map. No destination. Just steps. I decided to walk without checking the phone, using only my brain to remember street corners and color cues.It’s funny—when I used to travel with others, I always let them lead.Now, even in this tiny city, everything felt unfamiliar again…. Continue reading →

The alarm went off at 4 a.m.Outside, midsummer rain whispered against the window.It was cool, dark, and too early for any dreams. I repacked my bag one last time, lightening the load.In doing so, I accidentally left behind one thing I would sorely need:the tiny SIM card opener. A trivial object—until it’s not. The train… Continue reading →

I had been staying home—Home Malone, I’d call it—with too much time and too many thoughts. Too much silence, yet not the peaceful kind. The kind that echoes all your past failures back at you like a cruel soundtrack on loop. Work, love, life—none of it had changed. Except maybe this: the rejections had become… Continue reading →