What Inspired the Trilingual Triathlete Blog

Welcome fellow linguists, travellers and sport enthusiasts. Firstly, I hope you are all finding some peace and positivity in during these uncertain months. May you take time to invest in your own personal growth, but also be there for your friends and loved ones.

I can’t help but be that irksome individual who copes with ‘adverse circumstances’ by being overly ambitious and filling my days with academic research, online courses, training and dreaming up the next adventure. However, thanks to university finals now being open book and my hardest ones out the way, I’ve decided to put some time into something I’ve always wanted to do – start a blog! I’ve written a journal my whole life, spending homesick nights abroad reading local literature, writing poetry and keeping extensive diaries of nomadic travels under Peruvian glaciers or on Guadeloupian beaches; it’s time to put some of these anecdotes out there.

Taken at Laguna Churup, Huaraz, whilst writing a letter to my sister for her time capsule, to open on her 30th birthday.

Although not always listening to my own advice, thanks to my youthful optimism at 24 (you have to be naive enough to start and stubborn enough to finish), I have stories to tell and life lessons to share. I've sunk to dark places but I've also felt complete euphoria at 6000m altitude mountain peaks or skinny-dipping in tropical seas with my best friends, as the sun turned gold and melted into the horizon. I believe these memories could belong to anyone who is willing to make them happen. As the world can be a frenzie of negativity, it is crucial to give credit to the foundations you've already laid down and to remember the moments that have made your heart sing. In the current climate, a blog is a great way to connect with other adventurous, hard-working people. I hope to inspire. To help others to overcome a fear of themselves and to dive into adventure, or to find comfort in that following your passions is hardly ever easy, but always worth it.

Q: What makes these turquoise lakes resemble an alchemist's potion? A: Mother Nature's magic and the high concentration of dissolved lime.

Becoming the author of ‘Trilingual Triathlete’ had a good ring to it when I thought it up walking the dog last week, so here it is. I’m a bit of a hybrid human, enjoying the academic side of life as much as the outdoor pursuit in wilderness. So as I procrastinate away from my revision for BA finals, I am going to try to harmonise the two. It will tell stories of foreign travel as a language learner with tips to improve your linguistic skills. It will recount the sporting adventures these global backdrops have allowed, from the benefits of freezing altitude ice baths in Latin America to unrivalled team spirit in CrossFit competitions on Caribbean beaches. Maybe you'll relate to the madness of a self-prescribed, solo, week-long mountain run in the Cordillera Blanca, or you'll happily deem me as una loca from your cosy reading alcove. But most of all, I want to take this opportunity to recognise the inherent kindness in our global community, interspersing my ramblings with a few anecdotes of beautiful places and people I've met along the way.

Caribbean colours. Taken on my first day living in Guadeloupe, walking out into my back garden.

My blogs will be an insight into how I've overcome challenges living abroad and hopefully will teach you a few things from the countries I’ve lived in, as many communities are often distorted by a Western perspective. Cultural immersion is the best way to understand socio-political challenges that communities face and I want to share some important causes. As an avid believer that your thought processes will eventually manifest as your life, read widely, learn tirelessly and adventure passionately. You'll never know enough, but you must also find confidence in that you already know a valuable amount. So read on, take home what you want, and remember: you have so much power in your reality.

Issy x