THE TIME HAS COME

Let me open with this: embarking the plane, knowing I will be in Tanzania in approximately 10 hours, is overtaking me with a feeling so powerful that is nearly impossible to convey through writing. Discovering what Africa has in store for me has been in the forefront of my mind since about mid November. Not to say it is the only thing I have been thinking about, but I have spent countless hours day dreaming about my host family, the friends I will make, the native people I will meet, the food I will eat, what species inhabit the bordering island waters, etc. If I were to list everything I have fantasized about it would be several pages long and might potentially bore my lovely readers.

Although I have only been traveling for about a day total, and all of that time I have spent either on an airplane or in an airport, I can feel that my thought processes are already beginning to alter in order to navigate unfamiliar situations, adapt to new environments, notice things I would typically be unaware of or consider unimportant. Catalyzing this transition in thought, was a total doofus mistake I made about my flight time! To everyone who thought I would be sitting on a plane for 23 hours straight, my apologies, that was not the case whatsoever.

After I got through security at O’Hare I was walking around, browsing through the duty free shops, hittin’ the loo, stockpiling H2o in my nalgene, you know, taking care of all the pre-flight necessities. As I was filling my bottle an interesting man that I had noticed in the same check in line as myself, came to fill his bottle at the neighboring fountain. He had long blonde curly hair with a dread on either side of his face, to hold the mass of the rest of his hair back I assume, he was wearing an intriguing pair of silk pants with intricate designs, a beaded necklace embellished with feathers and stones, and to top it all off he had a murse (man purse) draped across him. He was the epitome of a mad chill hippie man, so of course I could not let the opportunity to strike up a conversation with this guy pass! (1^st friend, WOO) We chatted for a while and he informed me he was a jewelry designer. When in the states, he lives in Northern California, but each year he travels to India for 5-6 months collecting stones and searching for new forms of inspiration for his pieces. This expedition will be his fourth time traveling to that neck of the woods. For this trip he has decided to change things up a bit and become a nomadic traveler through out South Asia for the duration of his stay.

Anyway as the time to board drew closer Mr. hippie man asked me if I knew how long the flight was. Over-confidently I stated 23 hours then expressed my deep dismay for spending that many hours confined to a seat on a plane. Thoughts of blood clots and unfathomable boredom had been haunting my ability to mentally prepare for the flight for a solid week at this point. He gave me quite possibly one of the oddest looks I have ever received then informed me I was laughably wrong. As it turns out, the longest flight you can take just about anywhere in the world maxes out around 18 hours. It did not occur to me whatsoever to take the time differences into account when reviewing my itinerary. altering thought processes example a

In this case I am glad I was prepared for the worst, but I also expected the worse; one of my mantras for this trip has since become the popular saying: ~prepare for the worst, but expect the best~ Although I didn’t expect the best this time, my first leg ended up being only 12 hours and the kind man sitting 2 seats away from me offered me the middle seat to lay down so I got to sleep almost the entire time. I was very grateful for this small act of kindness, and my flight exceeded all of my expectations by a longshot. YAY. Being so hyped for so long wares a gal out, so the rest was much needed! The plane was the biggest, most luxurious plane I had ever seen, and I can say the same for the Hamad International Airport.

After exiting the aircraft I had to retrieve my boarding pass for my next leg, they could not give it to me in Chicago due to the length of my layover. It was about 15 hours in all, so the ticket agent suggested I get a hotel room for the night. Due to the facts that I had not reserved a room when booking my ticket and the city hotel partnered with the airport being at capacity, a room was not an option. So I spent the next hour and a half or so walking around aimlessly pondering what my next move would be, altering thought processes example b. Unable to connect to wifi, therefore being unable to book any accommodations period, I decided to camp out in a quiet room for the night. Thankfully I lead to this option via the advice of the very kind ticket agent who gave me my boarding pass and probably began to feel sorry for me after the fifth or sixth time I passed him doing circles around the airport. (mega s/o to him)

The entire airport culture in Doha was completely different than any American airport I have ever been in. Every staff member seemed to be warm and welcoming, every area was pristine, including the bathrooms, and it did not feel over crowded at all. Somewhat of a taboo compared to American airports I felt. These things could have been a product of the rather odd hours I was there, nonetheless I was both shocked and impressed. At one point when trying to connect to wifi I sat on the ground by a row of full chairs, a man got up and offered me his seat. Although I tried to kindly turn his offer down, he simply would not let me, it seemed very courteous. Two things that did seem unusual to me however were the lack of eye contact and of smile exchanges made between strangers. People watching is at the top of my list for ways to spend leisure time, especially in a new place, but after a handful of unreturned smiles I tried to be subtler about it and avoid direct eye contact. I have a cloudy recollection of reading somewhere that in some cultures direct eye contact can be disrespectful, so I stuck with that inkling. altering thought processes example c

After a night of restless sleep I allowed myself to get up. I freshened up in the bathroom, ate a toasted sub and drank a delicious latte for breakfast, walked to my gate to board my flight for Tanzania. And that is where I am now, I will be boarding in about ten minutes so that is all for now folks!

                                                 ~Until Next Time~

T-Minus 8 Days!!

Colorado Bend State Park, Lampasas, TX

As I mentioned in my previous post, I know I would not have had the confidence to spend a semester 8,547 miles away from the place I consider my second home, had I not spent the summer in the Keys. The concept of living in paradise for an entire summer seems great to an outsider, and while I was completely excited and incredibly grateful to do so, before I left I had some reservations. These feelings lead me to occasionally consider if I had made the best choice of how to spend my summer, and romanticize the summer everyone else would be having while I was gone. Shamelessly I’ll admit my main hesitation was rooted in the FOMO I had about being away from my friends for so long. I was slightly nervous about other minutia of what lied ahead, such as potential problems I might face with crews, but no force was holding me back quite like the FOMO. All that being said, my tensions were close to relieved in their entirety within a week of being there. I am working towards a point here, I promise!

The realization that three months a little over a thousand miles away, had the ability to prepare me for four months over 8 thousand miles away is groundbreaking but simultaneously quite simple. I spent the last ten days in Austin visiting my boyfriend, and while it was almost purely a vacation, I covertly doubled my time there as practice for Africa. I tried to the best of my ability to transform my mind into an empty vessel, for lack of a better word. My intention in doing so was to truly adopt the mindset of an “Austinite” (as they jokingly refer to themselves) to fully appreciate all the things I got to do. This was not my original plan of action however, and it took one small experience to show me that this was what I needed to do. The following is a mundane example, but I feel it illustrates my point.

Trey, (my boyfriend) is obsessed with everything Austin, ranging from the religion of football to the unique cuisine. Being completely clueless about sports, the tangible aspect of Austin he aimed to sell me on the most was the food. After picking me up from the airport we had burritos at a local chain called Freebirds. While he likes to say they have the best burritos evaaaa, after eating one I was somewhat underwhelmed. After listening to him rave about it, my expectations were high. I have had great burritos (maybe even better burritos, hehe) in Iowa City, but that’s not the point. Trey loves this restaurant and to genuinely appreciate it the way he does, I had to take a step back and look at the bigger picture as well as release my predispositions about what this dining experience should be. The restaurant in its entirety is what makes the place so great and very special to many people. All of the workers had awesome personalities, there was fun music playing and supa cool art all over the walls. And to be fair the burritos were pretty tasty, I just overloaded mine with too many tomato products LOL.

I did not face this inconsistency, so to speak, with expectations and reality in Florida because I went as a metaphorically speaking, open book. I cherished the memories of all the family vacations spent in Florida when I was younger so I was fully prepared to love everything about it. Everything I did there was carried out with a completely open mind. I went out of my way to engage in activities I usually would not have, such as eating fish (another LOL) solely because of the culture there. And much to my surprise, I am now a seafood fiend. In Austin, when I let go of all the predispositions I held upon arrival my time became much more meaningful. Another quick example: Trey is fascinated with the UT Tower, it was his background on his phone when I first met him and he brought it up numerous times in conversation through out the semester, before I ever visited him and had a chance to see it myself. He gave me a tour one day and it was exquisite. Almost every night, from whatever our location through out Austin was, we could see it. Each time I looked at it thereafter, it became more beautiful. That being said, I probably would not have even noticed it had it not been important to him.

Considering the insights I gained from both of my somewhat recent trips not only about the places, but about myself, I have a hard time putting into words the importance of embracing new things, experiences, places, people, etc. with a lens tailored to the culture. The ability to do this warrants the power to make any and every experience exponentially more meaningful with an added component, in most cases, of self growth. All of this reflection has provoked me to share what I have learned with you all as well as offer some advice. Live in the moment! This is easier said than done, but take opportunity you have to function with an open mind and offer yourself to the experience at hand. When things make you uncomfortable, let go of your inhibitions and take the opportunity to learn. And do not feel you have to travel a continent away, or even to another state; everyday life can instantaneously become much more interesting when you look at it from a new perspective.

~until next time~