Don't be worried, be human

         Going out of your comfort zone gives  the opportunity to find human beings so diverse that it would be hard to just get to know them while walking the street or ordering a smoothie in your home town. Especially that talking to strangers in some places seems inappropriate...

   However, when you are in a travelling mode, new friendships happen by themselves. "Your vibe attracts your tribe" as they say. I was extremely lucky to meet in Kenya two soulmates that showed me even more of how easy it can be to spread smiles around by being open to any person that you meet.

With Benja, watching stunning view on Hell's Gate gorge

           Before coming to Africa I had to listen to many warnings that made me feel quite stressed. I couldn't imagine myself travelling and not getting into conversations with people on the street. I was wondering: How will I get to know the country if I am not allowed to meet with locals because I am a girl, white and tiny and have no self-defense skills? It made me really anxious.
         And then the universe put me in one apartment for 6 weeks with Danni and Benja who made my worries disappear with their lovely laughs and loud way of speaking.
         Wherever we went, they were acting like they were friends with all the traders at the market, staff in hotels, people in matatu. I have to admit, some locals are very friendly but some of them look at us - wazungu - as if they would like to kill us or at least torture for hours or they just seems extremely tired with life. Even with them my friends could create a close relation by simply showing them attention, throw some jokes, use their swahili skills. And it was working!

       

   With Danni, after a fashion show during our project with refugees from Somalia and Ethiopia

       It is really easy to put a smile on someone's face, but sometimes it requires some effort. During our stay in Nairobi Danni was a Master of small chat, with her huge amount of energy and ability of asking tones of questions. She would make everyone laugh at themselves or at her. And she would always show respect and appreciation of the person she met. This powerful woman living her live between continents, changing jobs with each flight, creating her live as it goes, taught me how to be flexible, thankful and always keep on going with a huge smile on your face. Because if you will smile, others will smile to you. What bad can happen from a smiley interaction?

With Peter, our local guide at Hell's Gate. Such a lovely smiling boy! 

         As Benja was saying You will always get something from interacting. If you don't - you get nothing. And aren't we travelling to get this SOMETHING in our memory? A story, an experience, a thought, a friendship, an adventure, even a stressful or scary moment. For that we travel - for that we should live.
      Himself for sure lives for sharing with others. He would always find an opportunity to give, without wanting to receive anything back. This approach in combination with ability to make fun of himself and make others feel noticed filled our travels with small lovely moments with locals.
         During the time I've spent with them I could notice how easy it can be to break the pattern of a white tourist and to stay in minds of the people from our path as wazungu that actually care and respect. Wazungu that are also people, like the locals, not only cash machines filling their bellys and bags with more and more goods.
 

Our Performers Without Borders team on a Valentine's Day dinner

    This post is my huge bow to both of them and shows my appreciation for their loving hearts that keep on beating in the rhythm of Kumala Vista song.
       Thank you for giving me safe space to open myself for you and others and forgetting about worries from the regular world. Thank you for your crazyness, I shall follow it!

For all the readers, if you feel like sometimes in your everyday life you close yourself too much in your own world and don't aknowledge the people around - try one day to smile to someone on the street or start a conversation in a bus or while waiting in a line with someone that seems interesting to you.
And let me know how did it go!