I think that I have always been an adventurer at heart. Why books like "Alice In Wonderland" and "Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe", Enid Blyton’s “The Famous Five” series were candy for me when I was a little girl. But often as happens fear and wanting to be accepted in our culture, gets in the way of our desire to be different or adventurous as was the case with me. It just seemed easier to read about it rather than pursue it. And as time moved on I got wrapped up in the process of living and somehow my dreams were set aside for gain of monetary goods, a husband and family and a “normal” lifestyle in the suburbs. But that sense of adventure could not be quashed and when opportunity presented itself, I was ready to jump in full force.
Something happens to you when you are compelled to face your fears and one of my biggest fears was fear of abandonment, being left alone, losing someone that I deeply loved. When you confront a big fear and survive, all of a sudden you begin to feel fearless and so you challenge yourself to the next fear, and the next fear and the next fear and before you know it, you have become this strong fearless being who perceives the world as you never have before.
I have challenged myself much since the death of my husband. A little bit here, a little bit there. Sometimes in big doses like last year when I went to Italy by myself for 7 whole weeks. (Ah you brave chicky you!) And now AFRICA.
Africa. What could be more adventurous than to go to the wilds of Africa? Well perhaps 40-50 years ago or more it was far more an adventure as Katherine Hepburn in “African Queen” could attest. But let me tell you about the beginnings of my adventure.
There are two groups that will be going, a group of about 40 who will be leaving in November and a group of about 12 who are going next week (of which I am part of). Both groups will eventually meet up. Before you go to Kenya, you must have a visa to enter the country. You have to apply at an embassy or consulate and the closest one is in Ottawa. So we had to hand over our passports to the fellow who is organizing the trip, and in turn, he sent our passports registered FedEx to the Kenyan High Commissions office in Ottawa. I was a little bit leery of doing this, after all it is our passport, but I had great faith in the organization I was going with and in the persons who are heading up both the early group and the latter group. So at the end of September off went our passports and application and money for visas for Kenya.
Last night I got an email and it began like this:
“I dislike being the bearer of bad news, but we have just found out we have an emergency situation with the passports/visa applications we sent to the Kenya High Commission in Ottawa”
A teleconference was called and people from across Canada who were to eventually meet up and become the “group”, were all online. This was a serious situation but I have to tell you that all were professional, courteous, and very understanding of the situation. Each question that was asked was made in a calm and intelligent manner and all agreed to hang tight until the situation was resolved. And those who were leaving as early as Saturday would attempt to get an emergency passport and would do that today. There was a strong possibility that we would all have to apply for an emergency passport and pray that they could all be processed in time for us to leave.
As it turns out, the official who our organization was dealing with got a promotion and was no longer at the Commissions office and all mail addressed to him (our package of passports included) had been shipped to Kenya in an official government pouch to him personally. YIKES!!! Our passports made it to Kenya before we did? How is that possible?
Well it matters not, what matters now is that we get those passports back before we leave for our trip. They are being couriered as I write and will be personally picked up, with the visas and brought back to our city by Monday. A close call for those of us leaving on Wednesday!
Talk about adventure, if this is the start of what is to be, WOW, is all I can say.
Something happens to you when you are compelled to face your fears and one of my biggest fears was fear of abandonment, being left alone, losing someone that I deeply loved. When you confront a big fear and survive, all of a sudden you begin to feel fearless and so you challenge yourself to the next fear, and the next fear and the next fear and before you know it, you have become this strong fearless being who perceives the world as you never have before.
I have challenged myself much since the death of my husband. A little bit here, a little bit there. Sometimes in big doses like last year when I went to Italy by myself for 7 whole weeks. (Ah you brave chicky you!) And now AFRICA.
Africa. What could be more adventurous than to go to the wilds of Africa? Well perhaps 40-50 years ago or more it was far more an adventure as Katherine Hepburn in “African Queen” could attest. But let me tell you about the beginnings of my adventure.
There are two groups that will be going, a group of about 40 who will be leaving in November and a group of about 12 who are going next week (of which I am part of). Both groups will eventually meet up. Before you go to Kenya, you must have a visa to enter the country. You have to apply at an embassy or consulate and the closest one is in Ottawa. So we had to hand over our passports to the fellow who is organizing the trip, and in turn, he sent our passports registered FedEx to the Kenyan High Commissions office in Ottawa. I was a little bit leery of doing this, after all it is our passport, but I had great faith in the organization I was going with and in the persons who are heading up both the early group and the latter group. So at the end of September off went our passports and application and money for visas for Kenya.
Last night I got an email and it began like this:
“I dislike being the bearer of bad news, but we have just found out we have an emergency situation with the passports/visa applications we sent to the Kenya High Commission in Ottawa”
A teleconference was called and people from across Canada who were to eventually meet up and become the “group”, were all online. This was a serious situation but I have to tell you that all were professional, courteous, and very understanding of the situation. Each question that was asked was made in a calm and intelligent manner and all agreed to hang tight until the situation was resolved. And those who were leaving as early as Saturday would attempt to get an emergency passport and would do that today. There was a strong possibility that we would all have to apply for an emergency passport and pray that they could all be processed in time for us to leave.
As it turns out, the official who our organization was dealing with got a promotion and was no longer at the Commissions office and all mail addressed to him (our package of passports included) had been shipped to Kenya in an official government pouch to him personally. YIKES!!! Our passports made it to Kenya before we did? How is that possible?
Well it matters not, what matters now is that we get those passports back before we leave for our trip. They are being couriered as I write and will be personally picked up, with the visas and brought back to our city by Monday. A close call for those of us leaving on Wednesday!
Talk about adventure, if this is the start of what is to be, WOW, is all I can say.
More than anything, I am so glad that I am with a group of people that in a crisis keep their cool and are intelligent about how they handle a situation.
In the words of the fellow that is heading up both groups, "It was clear to me and many others that this group will pull together and face the challenges as they come.”
Boy that was a long night and day today! An end to a long journey that's just begun to be sure!
One week, 7 more sleeps.
Boy that was a long night and day today! An end to a long journey that's just begun to be sure!
One week, 7 more sleeps.
2 comments:
So did everything make it back to the right continent???
Hello! I know you are off and away but I just wanted to stop by and sya hello!
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