We are still waiting for our Angolan visas here in Pointe Noire and are lucky enough to have some new wonderful Canadian hosts, Heather and Dan. Our current setup includes satellite TV, wireless internet, good nutritious meals, comfortable clean beds, and excellent company. Tough life, this traveling business is!
Having been in limbo for the past three weeks, there's been plenty of time to meditate on my travels thus far. I've had hours to reminisce; to remember where I've been and what a crazy journey it has been to get to where I am now. I am in the middle of the
It's curious to think about how I've changed as well. When I first started this trip, I was so sure of myself, so sure of what I was searching for. But then everything changed. My first stop,
Finishing my dive master program four and-a-half months ago in Utila, Honduras.
I don't have to conquer places. I was having a blast in Utila, so there was no need to leave. The day I decided this--that it was OK to stay longer and let my itinerary flow naturally--I felt a weight had been removed from my shoulders. This is my trip, and, selfish as it may sound, I will do it my way.
My original goal of hunting for new music and dances was too confining. If I narrowed my travels to this theme, I would have missed out on so many other experiences. For example, in Brasil, the home of capoeira, samba, axé, forró, etc., I could have spent my time in samba school learning how to dance in a class. Instead, I found myself samba-ing in the streets of Salvador during Carnaval, trekking in the mountains of Lençois with my new friends Kellie and Diogenes, exploring Rio with my friend Leandro, lounging on the beaches of Buzios with Santiago, and learning Portuguese with my adopted family in Uberlândia. Not to say dance class wouldn’t have been an experience in its own, but I am glad I’m able to let myself flow and be open to new places.
I’ve been reading the blogs from the other Bonderman fellows as well as some true-life adventure books lately (Into the Wild, Off the Rails in Phnom Penh, Blood River). At times I wonder if I am doing this right. All the photos, blog entries and books tell tales of new friends, changing perspectives of world views, crazy exciting adventures, pushing boundaries. And they seem to do so with such enthusiasm and sophisticated contemplation. Do others get that impression from my writing? Are my adventures as dynamic and interesting? Why are there so few popular stories of women adventurers? What are my limitations as a solo woman traveler?
2 comments:
Jen,
I think your own self-contemplation and analysis answers the question of whether or not your travels are worth while. I'm not sure if you sincerely meant those questions or if you secretly already knew that what you're doing is what you should be doing, but the answer, at least from me, is yes, you are doing the right thing.
I think I related most to your comment about letting the "itinerary" go and just going with the flow of travel. It is indeed a liberating feeling, although at the rate that I'm traveling, I won't be home for at least another year and a half! Haha. But no, while all of the fellows are connected by this scholarship, we are still all very different people with different things we seek, different things we think we need to change about ourselves. Therefore like you said, the journey is yours just as mine is, well, mine.
Best of luck to wherever you are off to next. Thanks for the post. I enjoyed it.
Nick
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