Kenya: A place for second chances

Our family’s trip to Kenya was a surprise trip planned by my dad.We had never really had an impulsive yet planned trip like this before,just to see a new country.

We stayed in a small quaint cottage in the wilderness,with no internet,no phones or even a TV.The quietness creeped me out a bit in the beginning and my ears were unaccustomed to the thick blanket of silence which was only broken intermittently by the insistent chirruping of the insects and frogs that called to each other in the dark of the night.

The early mornings were covered with a flimsy curtain of mist which joined the swirls steam from the hot teas that we drank to warm ourselves before going out in the white open topped jeeps to see the animals .

Seeing miles after miles of open sky and wild grassland as far as the eye can see,sort of reinforces the fact of how insignificant your life is in the whole scheme of things.And the gargantuan mistakes, that you have made in your life seem to be like minor blips in the universe and seem to pale in comparison.And then, you feel that you can start over again. That though your mistakes are still there,they  are some how blotted out and you are no longer defined only by them.

Looking at the imposing predators and their equally magnificent prey in their natural habitat and looking at how lazily they gambolled about, compared to their counterparts in the zoos who often paced and raged in anger, made me think that we humans were also the same.

Taken out of our comfort zones, we sometimes cannot adjust and often lash outwards without understanding, that peace sometimes have to come from within if we are to understand and adjust to the world around us better.

I was amazed at the warmth and resilience of people there,some of them who had so little,that they made footwear out of old tyres.And yet they lived their lives so graciously and contently.Our guide who shared with us, his passion for his beloved country and who answered our every query with a patient smile. Sometimes, just living day to day also requires courage,a certain sort of quiet courage that compels you to not give up and try again, the next day for another shot at being happy.

Before this trip, I was caught up in a turmoil of emotions.I was back home after college and staying with my parents again.I had no job and the plans for further studies which I dreamed about and wanted to do badly were not working out.I was disappointed with myself and my life.Being dependant again and the minor curtailing of my independance had started to gnaw at my insides slowly but steadily.

A new city where I knew no one and one that I had never been to, in another country beckoned to me full of promises but I was still too timid and fearful to take that first step to move from the cozy comfort of familiarity to something that was in the realm of the unknown.

Being in Kenya,was just like being in one of those documentaries on the Discovery channel.And on the last night there, as I looked at the stars dotting the night from the window of my cottage,I was struck with awe at such a beautiful sight.In the dark,I finally found the light that I was looking for.It gave me the courage to start over and made me realise that though the past is still there, it wouldn’t have to determine my future.

I felt a calmness settle over my heart and I was able to make that decision of moving.I realised that,I would only regret things that I wouldn’t have done and the chances that I failed to take.

The trip to Kenya was a life changer for me because it made a cynic like me, believe.Believe in the possibility of second chances.