into the wild

i recently read a book called 'into the wild'. it left me wondering how certain people get to have such an exaggerated sense of adventure. you'll see what i mean when you read it. there is a powerful passage in the book which i wanted to share:

"I'd like to repeat the advice I gave you before, in that i think you really should make a radical change in your lifestyle and begin to boldly do things which you may previously never have thought of doing or been too hesitant to attempt. So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun. If you want to get more out of life, Ron, you must lose your inclination for monotonous security and adopt a helter-skelter style of life that will at first appear to you to be crazy. But once you become accustomed to such a life you will see its full meaning and its incredible beauty....Don't settle down and sit in one place. Move around, be nomadic, make each day a new horizon."

I think he might have a point. Though it was written by someone who dies, alone, in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness due to his passion for advenure and desire for a nomadic lifestyle. Anyway.

26 weeks, 4368 hours, 182 days...or just plain 6 months

it has been six months. 3 months longer than my ticket originally said; 6 months shorter than the year that i had originally given myself. six months ago, i got off the plane all tired and miserable, but so excited that i had arrived and everything was going to start. it feels very strange that so much time has gone by since then as some times (most of the time?) it feels like i have just arrived. my plans have changed, adapted and evolved into things that i could not have even guessed before i left the uk, but each experience has taught me something new and led me somewhere unique. but on the other hand, i feel so settled here that it feels like i have been here forever – except for the map book in the car. tell tale sign of my being a newbie in jozi!
i have a feeling that i should go through my favourite memories and be all cliche for you...i'm hesitating but here goes:

1. first night at doors and meeting the man
2. birthday trip to kwa maritane and my actual birthday
3. folding napkins with desi
4. making pancakes for the boys
5. tokyo star in early jan
6. getting a job and earning some foreign money
7. finally getting my passport and id
8. going to the ballet in pretoria
9. photography course
10. every second spent with the man

so there you go. i think that's enough. and i'm starting to get soppy.

so before i get too nostalgic, i just want to say thank you to my absolutely brilliant godfamily who have put up with me for the past 6 months…i’m not sure if they realize this, but i wouldn’t have been able to do any of this if it wasn’t for them. their hospitality, generosity and love can never be thanked enough.