Dear Stu,
It's 6:43pm and I just finished my discussion with Myna, Valentine and J.P. about the Africa trip.
It is both daunting and exciting.
Talking about it generally means that we focus on the negatives and the pitfalls and problems - but when I picture myself getting off the plane and opening my eyes in Nairobi I see excitement, adrenaline, changes and beauty.
The itinerary is still fluid but it is looking good:
There will be volunteer work (on farms and what not).
I will be undertaking an internship with one of the Media Corporations there.
I will sit-in on a lecture of journalism at one of the universities in Nairobi.
I will head out on safari and I will get the chance to taste the night life as well.
All in all, the trip is about immersing myself in the life and culture of Kenya.
The aim is to blend in so as to experience the truth (undistorted by the lens of tourism).
Personally, I see this trip as an opportunity for growth - a real possibility for me to take the time for some soul searching. It is difficult for boys to "come of age" in Western Culture. We are over-sexualized and made to look like idiots.
There is little to no emphasis on the positive and masculine qualities of the real Man. It is a pursuit of mine to truly dig deep and to find, within myself, those qualities that I know are there, held back by invisible restraints.
I am going to immerse myself in the colour of Africa so that the restraints will become known to me and I will be able to free myself from these bonds.
And this is all I shall say about that for now; it is important to let this happen subconsciously and naturally. To force anything would be far too similar to the way the media shoves agendas and deceit down our throats everyday.
Say hi to Melinda and Pete - I hope university is not causing you too much trouble.
Mahalo,
Rex
Rex!
ReplyDeleteThis is so fucking amazing!
"It is a pursuit of mine to truly dig deep and to find, within myself, those qualities that I know are there, held back by invisible restraints."
Brilliant, just brilliant! I can so totally relate to this, and the purpose of this journey to Kenya. It's so crazy, but this reminds me so much of the trip that I'm planning with some friends. We're planning to go to India in January, and what I'm basically seeking is to see how my thoughts, my ideas, how I fit into the world. I want to grow. I want to free myself of the usual way of thinking, of the typical routine kind of life. I want to find more like-minded people, and discover myself. Don't know how else to explain it.
We aren't planning much, because to plan would be to expect too much out of something. No, this is 'in the moment' sort of traveling.
It's time for us now.
Crazy how I found this blog of yours.
I look forward to the progress of your Africa trip.
(and by the way, I'm Erika from RedBubble, just in case I'm freaking you out);D