...which year would you have wanted to last twice as long?" is the question I have been considering for more than a couple of weeks now. It's not that I don't know, because I do. I've said it before and I think I will keep saying it to anyone who cares to listen, I love the life I've lead and continue to live. I know adventure is always just round the bend should I have the need for it. And I'm happy that there were so many years that stand out in terms of learnings, experiences, and people I've met. But without looking too hard, there is always that one year that jumps out among the rest and playfully invites me to look back and reminisce. And irresistibly, I find myself drawn in, enraptured again by the memories of the many mishaps, misadventures and discoveries of that one single year. I guess I was taking my time because although the simple answer itself is easy, the whys and wherefores will take some explaining. So where to start?
Some time in August of 2008, I found myself on a plane to Guilin, by way of Hong Kong, little knowing what awaited me when I landed. I knew some of what to expect since we spent a large chunk of that year preparing for that period, but expectations are a dangerous thing and more often, are hardly ever met. We landed late in the evening since our flight was delayed several hours due to a storm in the region, and were met by our driver who spoke nary a word of English. Hardly what I'd call an auspicious beginning.
Morning came and we were given a tour of Yangshuo's West street by our very considerate boss. He took us to a lunch of bāozi and drove us around town, pointing out places of interest. And thus began our introduction to a town, a lifestyle, and a people we came to love. And there, our more than a year-long roller coaster ride of challenges, adventures, and discoveries started to take shape.
My sister and I went there to teach English but it was an education for us as well. Along the way, we've built friendships, enriched our lives and grew up in ways we couldn't have done living the comfortable lives we had back home. We've travelled to so many places, met so many people and gone on so many adventures that it's hard to believe we were there barely a year and a half. We've learned how very little we need in order to survive. We learned that building bonds of friendship does not always require years to establish. And we learned that at best, people are still kind and can be trusted, at worst, you have to follow your instincts.
A friend, who shared the same experience, told me after going back to her real life that she sometimes had to remind herself that it happened. That the place, the people, and that way of life was real, and that it was a life she actually lived for a time. I didn't quite understand her then, but now I understand exactly what she meant and how she felt. There was something surreal about the entire experience that makes you question fact from fiction. It was, quite simply, a different world. I know people would question that statement as too much romanticizing and maybe they would be right. But there was a simplicity, a freedom even and an excitement in that world that I have never experienced before or since then, so allow me my romanticizing.
It wasn't all fun and excitement. There were challenges and difficulties for sure, no grand adventure is ever without some. There were times when I wanted to pack my bags and go home, and there were days when I questioned the wisdom of leaving home and going to a place that was totally foreign from everything I'm used to. But there were also those amazing days when I was so grateful for whatever whimsy that pushed me to go and take that risk while questioning why I waited so long to do it. In the end, I stayed and braved it and I will always be glad I did.
Looking back, I sometimes wonder at the adventurous spirit that allowed me to take that first step of leaving a well-paying job and a comfortable lifestyle to venture to parts unknown. I ask myself what it was in that particular time of my life that led me in search of that kind of excitement. And I wonder if I would do it again. I haven't really found the answer to the first 2 questions, but I know that I would do it again. Over and over and over again.
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